Tuesday, August 30, 2011

What do you do with 12 tomato plants?

Seeing bowls filled with fresh picked tomatoes from my garden makes me so excited to cook. My tomato supply is in peak season and I add about 6 more tomatoes to the bunch every 1-2 days, so what do I do with them all? For starters I eat 2-3 of them sliced up each day after work and was just telling my coworker I'm going to have withdrawals after my garden season is over. We also have enjoyed a few caprese salads thanks to my fresh supply of basil. I was hoping to try making homemade tomato juice this year to use for bloody mary's during Badger games but I'm still debating this as I'd have to learn how to can (canning is still on my list of things to learn, for now I just make things I can freeze).

There are still plenty of options to use up a lot of tomatoes. I love tomato basil soup but often can't enjoy it since it's made with (I'm lactose intolerant). I found this great recipe that I made for dinner and froze in containers to eat this fall. I'm going to make another batch (this time with a small amount of milk) as well since it was so good. I love soup for lunch in the fall and this will be a great treat to remind me of summer.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
 Source: Barefoot Contessa


We had the soup with an amazing side chopped salad of refrigerator leftovers (chick peas, corn off the cob, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and vinaigrette) and my favorite, Spotted Cow Beer. 


I've also made 4 large batches of fresh salsa so far this summer.

I use a food processor when I make salsa since it's much quicker than dicing. I don't follow a recipe but I made sure to pay attention to what I added this time so I could share.

Sina's Garden Salsa
First: Add the following ingredients to your food processor: 1/3 of a white or yellow onion, 1 green bell pepper, 2 jalapeno peppers (without seeds), 1 habenero pepper (optional for spice) and 1/2 bunch of cilantro

Next, slice tomatoes in half and add them to the food processor. Hit the pulse button 10-13 times until it's a good consistency for you. I used smaller tomatoes (around a roma size) and added 14 to this batch.


Voila, you're done and the outcome is a delicious homemade salsa to use with chips or tacos. This is my husbands favorite!


Next up, homemade marinara sauce to freeze for the fall!

Friday, August 26, 2011

Crop Share Box #7


It's definitely August. If you take a look back at Box #1 compared to Box #7 you will see the the amount of vegetables we've gotten has doubled and the varieties have expanded. Note, this is only half a crop share and a hard one to tell what we got as many things came with one so we each picked items out that we would use. 

What this box contained:
Green Top Carrots, Cucumbers, Broccoli, Italian Garlic, Summer Squash, Sweet Spanish Onions, Gold Potatoes, Italian Frying Peppers, Eggplant, Sweet Corn, Green Top Gold, Thai Basil, Tomatillos, Sesame Greens, Melons, Zucchini

Pictured above: 
From front left: Sesame Greens, Sweet Spanish Onions, Broccoli, Eggplant, Cucumber (yellow), Zucchini, Cucumber
From left on top row: Green Top Carrots, Italian Frying Pepper, Summer Squash

New Recipes:
Grilled Cabbage 
Directions: Cut cabbage into thick slices. Top with olive oil, salt, pepper and a generous amount of garlic powder. Place on tinfoil and grill for ~ 40 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with pecorino or parmesan cheese and serve
Ratings: Sina 4, Ryan 4


Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Serving size vs Portion size

While many Americans use the words serving size and portion size the same way they actually have different meanings. A serving size is the portion that is recommended by the USDA as a serving of that food group, whereas a portion size is the amount we actually choose to eat. A portion size can be more or less than the actual serving size and has history has shown our portion sizes tend to be too larger. Nearly 34% of American adults are obese which has tripled in the past 30 years. Even more scary 17% of children are now categorized as obese.

Want to see how our portion sizes measure out? What my Twin Cities Live Clip from yesterday.  Also, see what standard serving sizes measure out to and how to visualize that on your plate.
  • Chopped Vegetable: 1/2 cup
    • Looks like 1/2 baseball or a rounded handful for adults
  • Raw Leafy Vegetables (salad, kale, spinach, etc..): 1 cup
  • Fresh Fruit: 1 medium piece or 1/2 cup chopped for other fruits
    • Looks like the size of a baseball or 1/2 baseball if chopped
  • Dried Fruit: 1/4 cup
    • Looks like the size of a baseball
  • Cooked pasta, rice or hot cereal: 1/2 cup
    • Looks like 1/2 baseball or a rounded handful for adults
  • Potato: 1 small
    • Looks like the size of a computer mouse
  • Meat: 3 ounces (boneless, cooked, ~4 ounce raw)
    • Looks like a deck of cards
  • Dried Beans: 1/2 cup cooked
    • Looks like 1/2 baseball or a rounded handful for adults
  • Nuts: 1/3 cup
  • Cheese: 1 1/2 ounces (2 ounces if processed)
    • Looks like 4 dice
  • Butter, Oils: 1 tsp
    • Looks like 1 dice
  • Peanut Butter: 2 Tbsp
  • Bagel: 1/2 small
    • Looks like 1/2 a hockey puck
The new MyPlate website has recommended amounts of each food group that we should consume based on age. For a personalized list of how much of each food group you should consume go their webpage.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Gluten Free Diets: Facts vs Fabrications

Gluten free diets are all the rage these days. According to a report from packaged Facts, the gluten free food and drink market had a 30% growth rate from 2006 to 2010 reaching $2.6 billion in retail sales last year. They also mention that the products are often consumed by people who do not suffer gluten intolerance. I'm sure you know someone who avoids gluten in their diet or have heard this topic discussed by celebrities. To think 10 years back barely anyone was talking about this protein found in wheat, rye and barley.  The fact that gluten free diets have become more popular is apparent at grocery stores and on restaurant menus and the growing population of these foods available at stores is staring to make consumers wonder if they too should be avoiding gluten. While there is a real need for gluten free diets and the awareness has helped those people who have to medically avoid it, there is also a lot more for people to learn about gluten before following the trend.

Most people who require a gluten free diet have a disease called Celiacs and when gluten is consumed it causes and immune reaction that destroys the vili that line our small intestines which leads to symptoms and possibly malabsorption. There are also another group of people who avoid gluten because of an intolerance causing symptoms after digestion. I do see some benefit to avoiding  gluten for those people who have family members with Celiacs who are asymptomatic but carry the antibodies. But, for the rest of the population who haven't had issues eating gluten for years why cut it out?

Fact, false or fabrication of Gluten Free diets for people without Celiacs or intolerance

Gluten free diets lead to weight loss: Fabricated.
The idea that gluten itself will lead to weight loss has never been scientifically proven for people who don't have Celiacs or a gluten intolerance/sensitivity. Yes, people who cut out gluten may eat less cakes, cookies, crackers, breads and sweets if they don't go looking for the gluten free version, but the weight loss that would accompany this would be from a loss of calories not from the digestion of gluten itself.

Gluten Free diets will give give you more energy: Fabricated
Often times when people go gluten free they cut out a lot of processed foods and eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Having more fresh foods in your diet vs processed will often give your body more energy since the foods being consumed are needed by the body not in excess. This can occur for anyone weather they eat gluten or not if they being to follow  more well balanced, healthy diet.

Gluten Free diets are healthier for everyone: False
Eliminating gluten from your diet can lead to eating less fortified and enriched food and if not done properly can lead to iron, calcium, thiamine or folate deficiencies. In addition, if a gluten free diet is being followed and a person isn't eating the required servings of fruits and vegetables they be lacking on fiber intake.

Facts about gluten intolerance (from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal- see link)
• Prevalence of gluten intolerance for average, healthy people is 1 in 133
• Prevalence for people with first-degree relatives (parent, child, sibling) who are celiac is1 in 22;
• Prevalence for people with second-degree relatives (aunt, uncle, cousin) who are celiac is 1 in 39.
• Celiac disease affects at least 3 million Americans.
• A significant number of people with celiac disease - 60% of children and 41% of adults, according to one study - do not exhibit any symptoms, which include but are not limited to diarrhea or constipation.
• The average length of time it takes for a person with symptoms to be diagnosed with celiac disease in the United States is four years.
• Once diagnosed, gluten intolerance is for life, and the only treatment is elimination of gluten from the diet
• Gluten intolerance is not the same thing as wheat allergy or gluten sensitivity, neither of which is an autoimmune disorder. There is currently no diagnostic test for gluten sensitivity, though researchers, including those at the Celiac Disease Center in Chicago, are working to develop one.
• Celiac disease and type 1 diabetes often run together. There is about an 8% to 10% overlap. Some research suggests that untreated celiac disease might even cause type 1 diabetes, she said.
• Upon diagnosis, people with gluten intolerance are often intolerant of milk. With healing of the intestinal surface, the lactose intolerance often goes away.

So what should you do if you feel you have a gluten intolerance or sensitivity. See your doctor and get screened and assessed for Celiacs. I recommend doing this before cutting out gluten on your own as cutting it out can make it very hard to go back to a diet with gluten in it again and the change requires a lot of dedication and label reading.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

The amazing cooks I know...

I'm blessed to have amazing friends and family in my life who love to cook. Ryan and I have been treated to so many delicious meals that I wanted to start featuring some of the other amazing cooks I know on my blog. 

The first installment of my blogs guest cook is Chrissy Keene. Chrissy and I met our sophomore year of college in Park Spring Apartment complex in Madison. We both lived with 4 girls and met Ryan and Sean who lived with three other boys across the hall. She started dating Sean that year and Ryan and I followed the next year. Who would have known that we'd meet our husbands in that building and remain great friends. We are so lucky that they live 10 minutes from us. Chrissy and Sean are both amazing cooks and love to cook together. They throw great parties and always have plenty of fresh, delicious food. They amaze me with their ability to cook without recipes. Sean can marinate the best meat with a random concoction of seasonings and Chrissy always has great vegetable dishes. Below is one of my favorites of hers. I'm not sure where the recipe is from but it's a melon, mozzarella salad. This is the perfect example of moderation. The picture shows the prosciutto the most since it's on top but once the dish is mixed their are fruits, vegetables, nuts and cheese. While prosciutto is higher in salt and fat you don't need to use much of it in a big dish. If you're like me then you need a little salty cured Italian meat every once in awhile and having it in a salad is the perfect outlet!
Source: Giada-Food Network
Chunks of fresh mozzarella, cantaloupe, roasted pine nuts, crisply cooked asparagus and crispy prosciutto crumbles topped with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Philly Cheese Steaks

My husband was reading the USA Weekend insert in the paper back in June and found a "Father's Day" recipe for Philly Cheese Steak that he cut out for me to make. I was thankful that he contributed a recipe since I'm always asking him what he wants to eat but I was also eating my words because I've gotten used to being the meal chooser. I've never enjoyed Philly cheese steaks in the past because I find the meat chewy and the sandwich overfilled with cheese so I put off making them until July. This past weekend we enjoyed our first summer weekend at home just the two of us and I wanted to make Ryan something I knew he'd love. I went to the store without my recipe so asked the butcher what cut of meat would work best for Philly Cheese Steaks.  He gave me a few options but said a New York Strip Steak is by far the best for Philly sandwiches so that's what I bought, a 1 pound New York Strip.

I followed USA Weekends (June 10-12,2011 edition) recipe for the marinade and I let the steak soak in it for an hour before starting up the grill.
Marinade: 1 Tbs olive oil, 2 Tbsp A1 steak sauce, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper.

From there I decided to make my own variation since this recipe called for jarred fried peppers and I had fresh peppers from the garden. I chopped one sweet onion into thick slices, 1 green bell pepper into slices and 1 large banana pepper into slices and tossed them with a small amount of olive oil.

Next, I warmed the grill to medium high and placed the steak and veggies on a grill plate. Our piece of steak was very thick so I ended up cooking it about 5-6 minutes on each side and I kept the veggies on that whole time (be careful not to overcook the steak and remember it will keep cooking once you remove it from the grill). Our steak turned out medium which is exactly how we like it. Once your steak is cooked to your liking and the veggies look done remove the steak and veggies from the grill and thinly slice the steak.

Now, the good part. Drizzle two hoagies or brat buns with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Place on grill to toast for 2-3 minutes. Remove, layer on steak and veggies and top with a slice of swiss or provolone cheese (we used swiss) and place back on the grill until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.
*Our deli cuts cheese into 1/2 ounce slices so I used two slices per sandwich which = 1 serving of cheese per sandwich. 

Honestly, I wasn't even expecting to like these but I was so surprised because I loved them. I loved the vinegar taste on the bun and the sharp cheese taste over the mix of hot and mild peppers and perfectly seasoned and cooked steak. Definitely a recipe I will be making in again in the future and one I highly recommend for any meat lovers or steak skeptics! It was very easy to prep and perfect for hot days when you don't want to use the oven. My picture doesn't even do it justice since I didn't remember to take my camera out until the colorful veggies were topped with cheese.

Ratings: Sina: 5, Ryan: 5

Monday, August 1, 2011

Food of the Month

I picked my first tomato from my garden last week and was so overtly excited that it's officially tomato season. While farmers markets and other gardens have had tomatoes fresh for most of July mine are just coming into bloom. Since starting the food of the month I have anticipated using tomatoes and now the time has come! I am so obsessed with tomatoes I don't even know how to start and can't even imagine typing all the recipes I have using fresh tomatoes. For one most of the dishes don't have recipes. Fresh salsa, marinara sauce and tomato soup are things I just whip up and taste as I go. I'm so excited that I have 12 tomato plants this year. I know I'll have no issue using them and I may even get fancy and try canning some of my salsa and sauce or make homemade tomato juice!

First thing first I want to try to answer a common question that arises. Are tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable?
This is an ongoing debate and depends on who you ask. Botanists would say they are a fruit because botanically they grow like fruits but the United States Department of Agriculture, horticulturists and most dietitians classify it as a vegetable. I'm not sure how accurate this is but I read this statement online today (also showing the debate has been going on for centuries): "On May 10, 1893, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the tomato is a vegetable and, as such, is subject to import taxes under the United States Tariff Act of 1883.

What's in it? 
One medium sized tomato (3'' diameter) has ~ 30-35 calories and is a rich source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Tomatoes also contain an antioxidant called lycopene which has been studied for it's cancer fighting properties. Lycopene protects our cells from oxygen damage which can help white blood cells and may also help prevent heart disease.

Now how to use them. Well if you're like me then you'll pick 'em, slice 'em and top them with a dash of salt and pepper or olive oil and balsamic vinegar (I can eat a few tomatoes at a time when they're in season).
And last but not least...a few great tomato recipes worth listing...

I made these sandwiches for my mom and I when she was in town. While I've made MANY caprese panini's with basil, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella this one was by far the best. The determining factor was balsamic reduction.
Rating: Sina: 5, Becca (my mom): 5

Tomato Bruschetta (once again I don't use a recipe but here is the gist, measurements may vary a little)
Ingredients
-French or Italian Bread
-2-4 tomatoes diced
~1-2 Tbsp olive oil
~1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
-12-20 basil leaves diced (I like a lot)
-dash of salt and pepper
-Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Slice bread and toast in the oven on broil
Mix tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar and basil and layer on top of bread slices. Sprinkle each with salt and pepper. Grate Parmesan on top and serve immediately. You can always prepare the topping ahead of time and assemble them on bread later if you are bringing it to a party.
Rating: Sina: 5, Ryan: 4.5

Caprese Salad
-Slice tomato and fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese and layer every other. Sprinkle with cut up basil and drizzle with olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper and serve
Rating: Sina: 5, Ryan: 4.5