The Skinny on Blueberries

Among the most popular of all fruits are berries, with their flowing colors and sweet, scented juices. Blueberries are just one of the berry delights that are sold throughout the summer. With flavors that range from mildly sweet to tart and tangy, blueberries are nutritional stars bursting with nutrition and flavor while being very low in calories. Blueberries are at their best from May through October when they are in season. These are strictly seasonal crops. Buy them out of season and they will be inferior in terms of taste, texture and nutrition, and they will most certainly have been brought great distances by air.

One cup of blueberries contains 84 calories and 3.6 grams of dietary fiber. There is considerable interest in terms of cancer research, since blueberries are rich in anthocyanidins, the phytochemmicals that given them their blue color. The consensus is that they can help prevent cancer. Blueberries are also an excellent source of vitamin C, manganese and dietary fiber and a good source of vitamin E.

How to Select: Choose blueberries that are firm and have a lively, uniform hue colored with a whitish bloom. Shake the container, noticing whether the berries have the tendency to move freely; if they do not, this may indicate that they are soft and damaged or moldy. Avoid berries that appear dull in color or are soft and watery in texture

How to Store: Ripe blueberries should be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator where they will keep for about a week, although they will be freshest if consumed within a few days. Always check berries before storing and remove any damaged berries to prevent the spread of mold. But don't wash berries until right before eating as washing will remove the bloom that protects the berries' skins from degradation. Ripe berries can also be frozen, although this will slightly change their texture and flavor. Before freezing, wash, drain and remove any damaged berries. To better ensure uniform texture upon thawing, spread the berries out on a cookie sheet or baking pan, place in the freezer until frozen, then put the berries in a plastic bag for storage in the freezer. Berries should last up to a year in the freezer.

I wouldn’t do blueberries justice without giving you my recipe for blueberry muffins. Although blueberries are versatile and can be used in a variety of ways, this is a classic recipe and something everyone should have on hand for a rainy day.

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (can substitute whole wheat flour for ½)

¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 eggs (local, please!)

4 tablespoons butter, melted

¾ cup skim milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 ½ cups fresh, local blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400oF. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan or arrange 12 paper muffin cases on a baking tray.
2. Sift the flour, sugar and baking powder into a large mixing bowl.
3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Add the melted butter, milk, vanilla and lemon zest to the eggs, and stir thoroughly to combine.
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. With a large metal spoon, stir until the flour is just moistened, but not smooth (lumps are A-OK!).
5. Add the blueberries to the muffin mixture and gently fold in, being careful not to crush the blueberries.
6. Spoon the batter into the muffin pan, leaving enough room for the muffins to rise.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched lightly.

 Enjoy!

The Skinny on Peaches

In my humble opinion, the delicate juicy sweetness of pitted fruit, particularly peaches, is one of the greatest joys of the summer months. One medium peach (with skin) contains 58 calories and 2.2 grams dietary fiber. Peaches are very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Peaches are a good source of vitamin C and help to regulate the digestive system and ease constipation. The nutritional value of peaches also includes an array of minerals. They are an excellent sources of potassium, which helps to balance sodium in the body and regulate blood pressure; magnesium, for bone, nerve, and muscle tissue health; copper for energy production; and, iron which is required by hemoglobin molecules to transport oxygen throughout the body. Eating fresh, raw peaches is the most effective way to get the full nutritional value, from the vitamins and minerals, to all of the beneficial phytonutrients found in peaches.

The peach season is from May to October, with the summer months being the best time for fresh, ripe peaches. Enjoy peaches with breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert.

How to Store: Place firm, fresh peaches in a brown paper bag to ripen. Store at room temperature for two to three days or until slightly soft. If ripe peaches need to be stored, place in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper or drawer, away from vegetables for up to three to five days.

How to Select: Choose peaches that are firm to slightly soft when pressed. Skin color varies from golden yellow to dark reddish brown depending on the variety. Select peaches that are mildly fragrant because they will ripen into sweet delicious flavors. Look for well-shaped fruit without blemishes or soft spots.

Usage Tips: Wash peaches thoroughly before using. Peaches may be peeled, if desired. Peaches can discolor when cut, so if using in a salad, treat cut surfaces with an ascorbic acid color keeper such as pineapple juice or lemon juice.

One of Michael’s favorite desserts is peach cobbler. Because cobblers can contain a lot of butter and are high in fat and calories, I came up with a quick, healthy version of his favorite treat. With practically no fat, this cobbler does not perfectly resemble full-fat peach cobbler, but it does the trick – with much less guilt. Michael gave me the seal of approval… so it must be good!

Michael’s “Healthy” Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

1 cup flour (I use all-purpose – whole wheat is just too dense)

½ cup sugar (I am experimenting with honey this summer… I will keep you posted)

1 tablespoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

2/3 cup skim milk

5-6 fresh, ripe (local!) peaches, pitted and sliced

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon in bowl; mix well. Add milk, mix well. Pour into greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Heat peaches, nutmeg and remaining cinnamon in saucepan, spoon over batter. Bake at 350oF until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

P.S. – You can substitute any of your favorite fruit for the peaches.

Picnic by the Lake... 'Market-Style'

As we celebrate (or unenthusiastically acknowledge, in my opinion) the beginning of a very warm summer this Memorial Day, most of us will head to the lake or beach to enjoy the final pleasant days of spring. I was at the market last weekend and as I gazed at the variety of produce, I challenged myself to come up with a picnic menu Michael and I could take to the lake, sourced mostly from the local farmers' market. I am not so naive to think that I would not need some non-local ingredients, so I gave myself a slight buffer. After some creative thinking (so Michael wouldn't be eating leafy greens and a tomato), here is what I came up with:

Main dish:
-Hamburgers or hot dogs (Using local ground beef or handmade hot dogs). If you are going on a true picnic and won't have a grill, you will need to cook prior to leaving and keep warm.
-Fresh locally baked bread (It will most likely not be in the shape of a bun, but compromise! It is more fun to have food that is not perfectly proportioned anyway.)
-If you are going the burger route, don't forget the local cheese, lettuce and tomato. Ketchup and mustard are the freebies from your fridge.

Side dishes:
-Fresh cucumber and tomato salad (Toss local sliced cucumber and tomatoes with a splash of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.)
-Potato salad (If you can find local red potatoes, or even sweet potatoes - cook potatoes and mix with fresh local onion, mayo or mustard (whichever you prefer) and spices. Make your favorite potato salad recipe, just with as many local ingredients as possible.)
-Slaw (Shred fresh local cabbage and carrot and mix with mayo or even Greek yogurt.)
-Kale chips (Tear fresh local kale leaves into bite size pieces. Wash and dry thoroughly. Line on a baking sheet and sprinkle with olive oil and salt. Bake at 350oF for 10-15 minutes. Kids will love these!)
-Fresh fruit salad (Use local blueberries, peaches, strawberries - whatever is in season and whatever you can find.)

To drink:
-Fresh fruit-ade (Puree whatever local fresh fruit you can find and mix with water, or sparkling water if you want to be fancy. Freeze whole pieces of fruit and add to 'ade' mixture. Delicious and refreshing.)

Dessert was the hardest for me because I L-O-V-E sweets. Michael would be content foregoing dessert, but not me. Now, I could always purchase a delicious handmade dessert from one of the local bakeries at the market, but I wanted to get a little more creative. So, I came up with Honey Peanut Brittle.You can purchase local honey and nuts from the market (we are so lucky to be able to go out into our backyard to get honey this year - YAY!). Mix 2 cups honey and 1/4 cup water in pan and boil, stirring constantly. Add 1 1/2 cups peanuts or pecans (or your favorite nut), 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 1/2 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir and pour onto greased cookie sheet. Spread thin and let harden. Break into pieces and enjoy!

I know this is a lot of food, but I wanted to share with you all that I could come up with. Please feel free to change it up as your palate desires. If you have other ideas, please let me know as I am always open to trying new recipes. Enjoy a beautiful day at the lake, a cookout in your backyard, or even a lazy meal on the sofa... 'market-style'!

Beans, Beans, Beans!

We have all heard the saying “Beans, beans – Good for your heart”… I will let you fill in the rest however you please. Over the past few months, I have really gotten into using dried beans instead of canned beans. Now don’t get me wrong, canned beans are extremely convenient, fairly inexpensive, a great source of protein (and vitamins and minerals and fiber!), and an excellent staple for your kitchen cupboard. I have been depending on canned beans for years. Recently, in my trying-to-use-the-least-amount-of-processed-food kick, I decided to experiment with dried beans. As with every experiment, there were promising successes and disastrous failures. In the end, the final product was fantastic. I cooked black beans, garbanzo beans, and kidney beans – all perfectly cooked with no added sodium (as you typically find in canned beans) and overall cheaper, to boot. I didn’t reach my successful destination without experiencing some extreme failures. All new experiences have some sort of failure – right?! Well… here we go.

 You first must know that I live by the motto, go big or don’t go. My first mistake was purchasing 3 pounds of each type of dried bean. This wouldn’t seem like a mistake, but my intention was to cook the entire amount of each bean at the time of purchase (go big, remember?). I really did not look like that much, honest. I got home with my purchase for under $15 and began the process. I washed the beans and soaked them overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, I drained the beans and poured them in my crock pot. Indicator #1 that something was not quite right - the beans just about filled up my crock pot and I needed at least 2 inches of water covering the top of the beans – oops! I forged on. I filled the crock pot with water, put on the lid and set it on low for 10 hours. I went about my regular business and about 3ish hours later, I hear Peanut, my beloved yet curious beagle, slopping up something in the kitchen. This is never a good sign, so I went running. Let’s just say my crock pot had overflowed and bean juice was slowly seeping down my kitchen cabinets onto the floor, where Nutty was gladly cleaning up my mess. Lesson learned – only cook 1 pound of beans at a time. Trust me!

You are never a true scientist unless you make a huge mess – or so I believe. Despite my slight mishap, dried beans are an excellent resource and not too difficult to prepare. You must think ahead a tad since they have to soak overnight, but when you are finished, you can freeze 2 cups per Ziplock bag and use it just like you would a can of beans.

The correct (and less messy) way to cook dried beans:

Step #1: Before soaking, sort though dried beans and discard any that are discolored or shriveled.

Step #2: Fill a bowl with 3 cups cold water per 1 cup beans. Soak beans for 8 to 12 hours at room temperature. Drain the soaking water. Rinse the beans.

Step #3: Place beans in crock pot. Add enough water to cover beans by two inches. Cook beans on low for 8 to 10 hours. (You can also cook beans on the stove top – see chart below. Bring beans and water to a boil and simmer for the recommended amount of time listed). Beans are done when they are easy to break open with a fork.

Step #4: Store beans for use in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze cooked beans to use later. When you are ready to use, defrost and prepare like canned beans.

Use 1 cup dried beans to make about 3 cups cooked	Use this much water	Cook for this amount of time
Black beans	3 cups	About 2 hours
Blackeyed peas, cowpeas	2 ½ cups	½ hour
Great northern beans	2 ½ cups	1 to 1 ½ hours
Kidney beans	3 cups	About 2 hours
Lentils (do not soak)	2 ½ cups	½ hour
Lima beans	2 ½ cups	45 minutes to 1 hour
Navy or pea beans	3 cups	1 ½ to 2 hours
Pink or pinto beans	3 cups	2 hours

Enjoy!

The Skinny on Spring Onions

You always thought onions were added to recipes for flavor, but didn’t actually provide anything beneficial for you. Am I right? I am glad to say that if you are of this mindset, today I am going to prove you wrong! Onions are a top source of inulin, a fiber indigestible by humans, but which selectively nourishes to good gut bacteria that line our intestinal tract thereby protecting against food-borne viruses like E.Coli. Onions’ prebiotic fiber may also help regulate appetite. Onions are also one of the highest sources of quercetin - a potent antioxidant that may reduce the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's, prostatitis and a variety of cancers (such as prostate and lung cancer). In addition to such direct antioxidants (that protect you by directly neutralizing free radicals), onions contain indirect antioxidants that trigger your body's own natural detoxification systems. In fact, the same sulfur-containing compounds that give onions their pungent odors are those that activate the phase II enzymes in the liver, prompting a cascade of detoxification that can last for several hours. Less spectacular, though no less important, is that onions are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of fiber, vitamin B6, and manganese. With all of these health benefits for just 60 calories per one medium bulb, it's a good thing the average American eats about 18 pounds of onions per year.

How to Select: Look for onions that are firm and dry with smooth and bright skins.

How to Store: Fresh onions should be refrigerated and used quickly, but dry (storage) onions can be kept in a cool dry place for months without losing their nutrients.

Usage Tips: Remove papery skin before using.

Cool Spring Gazpacho Salad

Ingredients

• 1 large fresh pineapple
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes, drained
• 1 large cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 4 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crushed

Directions

1. Twist off crown from pineapple. Cut pineapple lengthwise into quarters. Remove fruit from shell; core and chop fruit. Drain.
2. Stir pineapple, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, vinegar, oil and basil in large serving bowl; cover and chill 1 hour or overnight. Stir before serving.

Chipotle Shrimp, Pineapple and Onion Kabobs

Ingredients

• 1 cup bottled baja chipotle marinade, divided
• 1-1/2 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 fresh pineapple, cut into chunks and drained
• 1 medium onion, cut into chunks
• 2 red or green bell peppers, cut into chunks

Directions

1. Pour 3/4 cup baja marinade over shrimp in large sealable plastic bag. Refrigerate and marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Remove shrimp from baja marinade and plastic bag; discard marinade.
3. Thread shrimp, pineapple chunks, onion and bell peppers onto skewers.
4. Grill or broil 8 minutes turning and brushing with reserved baja marinade or until shrimp turns pink. Discard any remaining marinade.