Fighting Fruit Fatigue

You may remember I talked about fruit fatigue at the beginning of the month in my choose cherries post. Well today I discussed ways to fight fruit fatigue on Twin Cities Live. Try new ways to to eat fruit instead of only eating apples, bananas, oranges and watermelon. Many fruits are available year round in dried, juice, frozen or canned forms. The recommended amount of fruit for adults is 1-2 cups per day. Only one if 5 Americans are getting enough fruit each day, are you? I hope so and if not read on for some great ways to increase your fruit intake for a long, healthy life.

I showed viewers ways to cook with dried cherries, tart cherry juice, pears, grapefruits and grapefruit juice! I was also lucky enough to be accompanied by my cousin Jess who took so many lovely pictures during the segment.  Check out the finished dishes below (recipes linked at the bottom). I highly recommend the cherry chili for a delicious warm winter dish, the smoothie for breakfast or a snack, the baked brie as a Christmas party appetizer, the salad as a dinner party starter, the grapefruit slaw served with tilapia or cod and the ginger grapefruit spritzer as a party cocktail!

Prepping the food before the show

Cherry Chili and the Yogurt Cherry Smoothie ingredients ready to make live

Candied Walnut, Pear and Leafy Green Salad and Baked Brie en Crout with Pears

Grapefruit Slaw and Ginger Grapefruit Spritzers

Twin Cities Live Segment: Fruit Fatigue Link
Recipe Links 
Cherry Chili
Cherry Yogurt Smoothie
Candied Walnut, Pear and Leafy Green Salad - try topping with goat cheese
Brie en Croute with Pears - I used croissants in place of the frozen pastry puff
Grapefruit Slaw - I topped it with grated fresh ginger
Ginger Grapefruit Spritzer

Potato Leek Soup

You may be wondering if our crop share ended since I haven't posted in awhile. The answer is no and the reason I hadn't posted in awhile is the recent shares have been for foods that we often eat raw (carrots, lettuce, arugula, cucumbers) or things like onions and garlic that I add to everything.

This past weeks share I did receive a few special treats: potatoes and leeks. It was like someone was saying to me "Make potato leek soup." I have had leeks at restaurants but I've never cooked with them before so I was so happy to get them in my crop share to prep on my own. I was also excited when I found a potato leek recipe that called for all ingredients I had at home: Potatoes (check), leeks (check), butter (check), broth (check even though I used chicken), salt, pepper and thyme (check- I used dried) and cream (As you can imagine I didn't have this but also didn't plan to use it; skim milk was my substitute). I also didn't make the cheddar toasts but they do sound amazing and I would recommend trying them if you have time.

Golden Potato Leek Soup with Cheddar Toasts

Source: Cooking Light, October 2005

Notice the burned in "S" on my favorite wooden spoon. My friend Claire's mom did that by hand!

My first time with cooking with leeks was a success. Perfect for a cold fall evening or light meal. Probably good I made it a night my husband wasn't home for dinner as I don't think he would have enjoyed it as much. He prefers bold flavors and this was subtle and simple.  I'm not sure I would go out of my way to buy the ingredients to make it again unless I was sick and craving a light soup but I would recommend trying it you typically like potato soup or potato leek soup.

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!

Crop Share Box #2

I realize I have box #3 from our crop share and I haven't posted about box #2 yet. I just finished up the supplies from box #2 so I can share all my recipes. Most of the vegetables I added to our normal dishes and a lot of it was used for salads. I found the ingredients in this box more difficult to use than the veggies we received in our first box. The Hon Tsai Tai I ended up throwing away since it wilted before I figured out what to make with it.

What this Box Contained:

Spring salad mix, Garden herb pack for planting (basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, savory, parsley), spinach, red radishes, asparagus, rhubarb, Egyptian walking onions and green garlic. 

Pictured Items from Left to Right: 

BACK: Spring mix, Garden Herb pack, Spinach

FRONT: Red Radishes, Asparagus, Hon Tsai Tai , Green Garlic, Egyptian Walking Onions, Rhubarb

This picture was taken before I split the items with our neighbor so you can see what the size of a full share would look like. 

New Recipes I made from this Box:

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp  Recipes Source: Whole Living Magazine

Ratings Sina: 4.5, Ryan: 3.5 (he's a hard critic)

Comments: This recipe was super easy to make. It took me about 5 minutes to prep it and the rest of cook time was for baking. It was delicious: very fresh and not too sweet. 

Tex-Mex Salad

-Spring salad Mix topped with grilled seasoned chicken breasts, avocado, diced red peppers & tomatoes, canned no added salt black beans (drained and rinsed), canned no added salt corn (drained and rinsed) and topped with crumbled tortilla chips:

-Dressing: A mix of light sour cream, lime juice, avocado and taco seasoning (I didn't measure the ingredients)

Ratings: Sina: 3.5 (Ryan wasn't home for this meal. I had it with my friend Heather)

Fresh Egg Scrambles

Before I even write about this let me tell you about my egg scramble morning. My dear friend Brent came over for one of our routine brunch dates. We were really excited to do egg scrambles and diced red potatoes with herbs. We spent about an hour chopping everything before we turned on the oven to hear a constant DING, DING, DING noise. Even after hitting the off button multiple times it still kept coming back. So, we find the oven manual which tells us to turn the oven off. Not knowing how to turn a gas oven off we have to call my husband who's at a bachelor party and get step-by-step instructions from his very handy friend on turning the gas line off and unplugging the appliance.  We thought about going out for brunch at this point but we were too determined to cook since all our food was chopped and ready to go. So, what comes to my mind but to use the grill.  Of course that didn't go as planned either since  it wouldn't heat over 275 (I found out later the gas connection was kinked). Check out the picture below. All I can say is thank you for the Cheez-it's we bought on an impulse at the store since we had about 3 hours of waiting, cooking, stirring and more waiting before we had our slow cooked egg scrambles, which by the way were amazing. The slow cooking definitely paid off because these were the most fluffy tasting eggs I've ever had (although I can't say I plan to make more eggs on the grill anytime soon).

So what were in the scrambles: 

Egg scramble #1: Eggs whipped with skim milk and mixed with chopped green garlic & Egyptian walking onions then topped with sharp provolone cheese

Egg scramble #2: Eggs whipped with skim milk and chopped chives mixed in with leftover white cheese added at the end (not sure the type).  

Breakfast Potatoes: Diced red potatoes, chives, herbs, salt, pepper and olive oil. 

Rating: Sina: 5 (Ryan once again was gone for this meal)

Tofu

People assume I know how to cook everything since I spend a lot of time in the kitchen but to there surprise I'm just like everyone else and I have so many foods I have yet to try and so many more to master. I'm still nervous cooking new foods especially things like lamb and tofu. These are both foods I love to order when I go out to eat but making them at home is very intimidating.

Tofu is my favorite addition to Asian dishes. I  love the texture and way it picks up the flavor in whatever sauce you add it to.  It's also a great protein substitute for vegetarians, vegans or people who have trouble chewing meat.

Earlier this month my husband was traveling for work and I had time and no critiquing audience to try to prepare tofu on my own (two musts for a new food item). There are three main types of tofu available (firm, extra firm and silken).Not knowing what to buy I went with a firm tofu from Trader Joe's. I was lucky because my check out clerk saw it and gave me some tips on her favorite way to prepare it.  Since I was a new tofu cook I went with her suggestions. I was told to first cover it in paper town and a plate to get all the water out (I ended up doing this a few times until the tofu felt dry) and then cook it in a pan without oil. I was worried it would stick but just like she told me it didn't. I cooked it on each side until slightly browned and then tossed it with brown rice, broccoli, snap peas and soyaki sauce. To my excitement my whipped up meal of the vegetables left in the fridge, brown rice and tofu was tasty, simple and a definite remake for when my husband is here. I'm happy I tackled my first encounter with cooking tofu. Just like anything with cooking the more I prepare and cook it the more creative and confident I am with it.

My leftover Tofu Stir Fry at work the next day  

Tofu's Health benefits: Rich source of isoflavones (may help reduce the risk of cancer and osteoporosis), lean protein source (low in fat and calories and cholesterol free) and a good calcium source
-1/2 cup of tofu (~4 ounces) contains ~94 calories (4 ounces of ground beef is ~330 calories), 10 grams of protein and 227mg calcium

I'm ready to try more tofu recipes. Any suggestions? (Aunt Nancy I'm sure you have some good ones).

Food of the Month

This months featured food is so sensational that it has a catch phrase; the incredible edible egg (did I get the tune in your head...).  The egg has been a much debated food in the nutrition field. Once looked down upon for its cholesterol content it is now a beloved staple in most households and breakfast menus.  Eggs are extremely nutritious for us. They contain the most bio available form of protein (the highest quality of protein you can buy) and they pack in a lot of vitamins and minerals without a lot of calories. One large egg contains ~70 calories, ~6.3g protein. If you choose to just eat the egg white then you will consume 17 calories and 3.6g protein but you will also miss out on a lot of the vitamins and minerals found in the yolk. They can be enjoyed alone, in a casserole, on a salad, sandwich or in pasta (mmm...carbonara). Eggs play a key role in cooking with their ability to leaven, emulsify and bind. Just as important it is to know how your partner takes his or her coffee it is equally as important to ask "how do you like your eggs?" While I prefer them over easy or poached my husband prefers them over hard or hard boiled

My favorite breakfasts always contain eggs. They are a staple in our refrigerator and never make it to their expiration date. They are a great source of protein and keep you feeling satisfied for longer than most carbohydrate rich breakfasts.  With Mother's Day less than a week away I wanted to share a scrumptious egg bake dish perfect for a mid morning brunch. This delicious recipe comes from my childhood neighbor Patti. The original recipe is for a cheese and sausage egg bake but I am going to post a vegetarian variation I made last year when I hosted Mother's Day brunch.  It's great for entertaining since you make it the night before.

Vegetable Egg Casserole 

Serves:  10-12 

Make the night before you plan to serve it

12 eggs
4 cups milk
4 slices of bread, cubed
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard
1 zucchini

1 cup diced roasted red peppers

1 bundle of asparagus cut up
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup to 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese

-Sausage as desired, sauté before adding

1. Beat together the eggs and milk.
2.  Break up the bread and layer it on the bottom of a greased 9 x 11 pan

3.  Add vegetables and cheese, salt and mustard

4.  Pour eggs over top of mixture. 

5.  Refrigerate over night.

6.  Bake at 350 degrees for ~1 hour and 15-30 minutes or until it barely shakes in the middle.

7.  Let it sit for ~ 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

*To make the original sausage and cheese egg casserole saute the sausage and add in place of the vegetables

For another favorite egg dish check out January's "weekend of food" post to see my poached eggs with manchego cheese, crushed red peppers and prosciutto breakfast. 

Whole Grain Salads

Barley, quinoa and bulgar salads are my absolute favorite sides for dinner when it's nice out. They are great sources of fiber and easy to prepare ahead of time. I like to make them on the weekends for dinner and use the leftovers for our lunches during the week. The nice thing about whole grain salads is you don't need a recipe to make a delicious combination and it's a great way to use up vegetables that have been sitting in the fridge for awhile. Start by preparing the grain of your choice per the box directions: barley, wheatberries, quinoa, bulgar, etc...(I usually cook mine in broth instead of water for added flavor). Next, dice up fresh vegetables and herbs (peppers, green onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, sun dried tomatoes, olives, zucchini, arugula, basil, parsley, thyme, etc...) and add them to your cooled off grains. You can also add beans, nuts, cheese (feta works great) or seeds. Lastly, top this off with dressing. You can use a store bought dressing if you are crunched for time but homemade dressings are healthier and tastier and very easy to make. Start by using a general ratio of about 2:1 for oil to vinegar or a citrus juice like lime, lemon or orange. Then add some fresh or dried herbs or just a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Here's the recipe I tried this weekend (minus the pistachios):  Mediterranean Barley with Chickpeas and Arugula.


It got a thumbs up from my husband and I and is on the menu again for this weekend!



Spring Pasta: Garganelli with Apsaragus and Pecorino Cheese

This months Cooking Light featured a series of spring pastas. While I love pasta with homemade marinara or bolognese sauces I also love the taste of an olive oil, lemon or other herb sauce and fresh vegetables or pancetta. A perfect dish for spring! To start off the series of spring pastas I made the Garganelli with Asparagus and Pecorino Cheese for dinner tonight since it was quick and I didn't get home from yoga until late.

Ever since I studied abroad in Italy I am obsessed with pecorino romano cheese. For those of you who haven't tried it it's a hard Italian cheese made out of sheep's milk. It has a very sharp and slightly salty taste and is great for grating on dishes. Similar to a Parmigiano Reggiano but better!

Garganelli with Asparagus and Pecorino Romano

Sina's Adjustments to this Recipe:
-My grocery store didn't have garganelli noodles so I used campanelle noodles. 
-I added two roasted red pepper chicken sausage (slice and sauté with asparagus)
-Two garlic cloves instead of one
-Crushed red pepper to top
Vegetarian version: Make original recipe but sub vegetable broth for chicken broth 

My husband enjoying his pasta with a glass of white wine. Buon Appetito

Food of the Month

The coldest week of the year is about to commence and this month's whole grain, fiber-rich food will keep you warm and full. If you haven't guessed it yet; the food of the month is oatmeal.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and oatmeal is the perfect food to make morning eating easy, quick, savory and healthy at approximately 140 calories per cup. It's a great source of soluble fiber which helps lower blood cholesterol and prevent heart disease so before you hit the snooze alarm read on to learn a variety of flavors and different ways to eat this delicious food.
When it comes to a bowl of oatmeal there is something for everyone. You can choose from old fashioned, quick cooking or steel cut oats as your base. Next, consider what you are craving...crunchy, smooth, sweet??? For a crunch sprinkle in chopped walnuts, pecans or the Omega-3 rich flax seed. For smooth and savory flavors toss in a Tbsp of peanut or almond butter. To please that sweet tooth try fresh, frozen or dried fruit or try topping your oats with honey and ground cinnamon  (it adds flavor without calories). The combinations for this breakfast dish are endless.

Here are My Current Oatmeal Favorites
Instant Oatmeal: Trader Joe's Organic Instant Oats & Flax Oatmeal: A perfect combination of smooth oatmeal with flax seed to add crunch and a nutty flavor.
Add ins: Frozen blueberries and soy milk: 3 ounces of soy milk added to my instant oats gives me a creamy cereal and the frozen blueberries are my go to in the winter (peaches and pears are also favorites of mine when they are in season).
Coffee Shop Oatmeal: Caribou's Plain Seven Grain Oatmeal made with Soy Milk: (with cinnamon and nutmeg on top): Caribou did it right with the addition of their morning hot cereals. Their oatmeal balances crunchy and smooth in one bowl.

OATMEAL RECIPES

I previously posted a recipe from Cooking Light for Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins. Another great recipe that I highly recommend trying is Cooking Light's Oatmeal Pancakes. These pancakes are divine and remind me that whole grain pancakes can give just as big of cravings as the childhood pancakes my mom made. Even children will love this breakfast dish. Note to the cook: I recommend doubling the cinnamon or adding some nutmeg for more flavor. Lastly, to top the dish off I recommend my peach compote.

Peach Compote: Add 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 cup sugar to a sauce pan and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Next, add 1-2 cups of frozen peaches and let simmer for 5-10 minutes or until peaches are soft. Lastly, add 1-2 Tbsp all purpose flour to help thicken the sauce. Enjoy on top of your oatmeal with maple syrup.

Our Christmas

My family is filled with people who love to cook and when we go home we're always treated to great food. My Aunt Nancy knows how to cook everything, from traditional Italian food (my dad's family is 100% Italian) to wholesome vegetable dishes from her garden. Then we have my mom and I who both love great food and new recipes. We're also graced with my brother's fiancee, Sara, a culinary school grad and professional pastry cook. After much deliberation, we decided to split cooking honors on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Today, Christmas Eve, Sara undertook the pivotal task of making a traditional four course Italian meal. Assisting is my dad, an eager culinary pupil, and my brother who has turned into our resident sous chef. Below they are seen creating the Butternut and acorn squash ravioli.

My dad's favorite meals consist of many courses, conversation, and wine. My two cousins, Maddi and Emily, are vegetarians so we have both meat and veggie dishes tonight. Our Christmas Eve menu is as follows:

Antipasti

-Plate of Italian Meats, Cheeses and Olives from Tenuta’s (a great Italian market in Kenosha, WI; definitely worth a trip).

-Winter Vegetables Panzanella (Italian bread salad)

Primi Piatti

-Squash ravioli with butter sage sauce

Secondi Piatti

-Braciole (Round steak flattened then layered with prosciutto, pine nuts, mozzarella and raisins rolled up, browned and simmered in marinara sauce for 6-8 hours)

-Stuffed Peppers for the Vegetarians

Dolce

Tiramisu Cake (Sara promised she would write a post with the recipe for me later)

My mom, Aunt Nancy, Maddi and I will have our turn in the kitchen tomorrow, Christmas Day. In order to spend Christmas with friends and family we brined the turkey and prepped our dishes today. Here is our list of sides:

-Curried Cauliflower with Capers Source: Cooking Light
     -Recipe changes: doubled the curry powder

-Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Gratin Source: Smitten Kitchen 
      -Recipe changes: substituted skim milk for heavy cream

- Corn Bread and Broccoli Rabe Strata Source New York Times

MMmmm...I can't wait to eat. May your holiday be filled with family and finger-lickin', lip-smackin', melt in your mouth food just like mine. 

BUON NATALE From: Tenley the elf (my fox red labrador retriever), Ryan, and I

Food of the Month: Chili

I thought I would start a food of the month and what better way to start then with a warm meal for this cold month of December. Chili is one of my favorite things to make since I love spice, cilantro, soup, beans and vegetables and chili mixes all of that together. Chili can be a very healthy meal since it's loaded with  tomatoes, vegetables and beans. Try to avoid loading it with sour cream, cheese and chips. I usually add a small amount of light sour cream or I add a few slices of avocado and cilantro. One great thing about chili is you can serve it to almost anyone since you can make it vegetarian, gluten free or dairy free very easily. There are so many types of chili and I love trying new recipes. Since I love spice I usually end up adding extra jalapenos, chili peppers or chili powder then the recipes calls for. 

 Here are a few I love. I hope you find them as tasty as I do. Let me know what you think! 

Southwestern Chili Source: Cooking Light March 2005

I just made this recipe for friends that love spice like my husband and I do. It was dynamite and I highly recommend it. I used Andouille sausage in place of the Cajun smoked sausage and ground bison in place of the ground sirloin

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili (Vegetarian) Source: Cooking Light October 2005

This is a fun way to have the flavor of chili with the taste of sweet potatoes. My friend Beanie made this recipe for Ryan and I and we loved it. I'm going to dedicate this one to Kristen Angel since she asked for vegetarian recipes on my blog and I think she'll like this vegetarian twist to chili!)

Chili Con Carne  Source: Cooking Light January 2010

My husband made this recipe for a group of people coming over to watch football last winter. This Texas style  chili packs flavor without beans. This was the first chili I can remember that I ate without beans. I really enjoyed the taste of the beef and flavor of the base. It was a great change up to how I usually think of chili.  

Turkey and Bean Chili Source: Cooking Light September 2010

I love this recipe because it's quick and easy. I've made it following the recipe exactly and I've also done it with the addition of bell peppers since I had them left over from my garden. 

Chicken Chili Recipe: Source: My dear friend Claire

This was the first chili I ever made and my go to for a few years before I started experimenting with new chili recipes.  I still love the flavor of it and the fact that it's a chicken chili without cream. The marinaded chicken adds a lot of flavor. 

Ingredients: 

- 14 oz can of black beans (drained - I use the no added salt canned black beans)
- 1 can red beans (drained)
- 1/2 can refried beans
- 29 oz can of crushed tomatos
- 1 cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- Chipotle marinade
- 4 Chicken breasts
- 1 Red pepper (chopped)
- 1 Green pepper (chopped)
- 1 Jalapeno pepper (chopped)
- 1 Yellow onion (chopped)
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp salt

Directions: 

Marinate the chicken in the Lawry's marinade (for at least 30 minutes)
and cut into chunks.  In skillet add olive oil and brown chicken.
Remove chicken from pan once cooked.  In same pan saute onion, red and
green peppers and garlic.  In large pot add chricken broth, red and
black beans and tomatos.  Stir.  Add chicken and 1/2 can of refried
beans.  Add seasoning.  Let simmer as desired.  Ready when heated.

Kale Chips

As a dietitian selecting a favorite vegetable is near impossible and ever changing but my most recent favorite is kale.  I first was introduced to kale chips  by my amazing friend and Twin Cities Live Host, Elizabeth Ries. My husband and I have been hooked ever since the first time I made them and it's one of the only foods he will request I make. It's definitely a good thing to fall in love with since it is only 34 calories per cup but packed with nutrition including beta carotene, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and lots of minerals including iron and calcium. It is truly a guilt free treat!

We grew kale in our garden this year and it was like the giving tree. It grew and grew and grew and still was fresh to eat through earlier this month (until it got covered by snow). I started passing it out to friends, dropping it off in my neighbors mailbox and serving it for every occasion and it was a hit!
So, I dare those of you who are scared to try leafy greens to make this recipe. You won't be disappointed.

Roasted Kale Chips:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F

2. Wash 1-2 bunches of kale, remove stems, tear into small pieces

3. Toss with 2 tsp olive oil and spread on baking sheet

4. Salt and pepper lightly

5. Bake until crisp and slightly golden around edges (10 minutes) --> I will warn you that you have to watch them closely as they can burn quickly.