Terrific Tomatoes

One of my favorite parts of summer is picking fresh tomatoes from the garden. Considering that I now live in an apartment, and didn't plan ahead for a potted garden on the patio, I don't have the luxury of homegrown tomatoes this summer. While bemoaning my tomato dilemma at the grocery store I spotted some amazing looking tomatoes that resembled ones from my past garden days. They were organic "tomatoes on the vine." Despite the higher price I was determined to find out if they even compared. I'm happy to report that organic tomatoes on the vine are the closest I've ever come to tasting homegrown tomatoes from the grocery store. So if you're like me and didn't get around to planting tomatoes this year, all is not lost...I think it's definitely worth the extra money for a delicious juicy tomato. 

Taco Salad

Ingredients:

Red leaf lettuce

Corn

Salsa

Cilantro

Avocado

Ground turkey with taco seasoning 

Tomato

Beans

Chopped zucchini

(You don't need dressing, just use salsa and save yourself lots of calories)

Common Tomatoes and Their Uses

Tomatoes on the Vine:

 

 

Roma or Plum Tomatoes:

Sweet and acidic, known for their chewy flesh and low water content. Which makes them perfect for tomato sauce or for quick saute dishes or in fresh salads where you don't want excess moisture. They have a longer shelf life than moister tomatoes.

 

Cherry (and other mini) Tomatoes: 

Small and often sweet tomatoes generally eaten whole in salads

 

Beef Steak Tomatoes: 

Often used for sandwiches and similar applications. Their kidney-bean shape, thinner skin, and shorter shelf life makes commercial use impractical.

 

Heirloom Tomatoes:

They aren't as common but are becoming more popular. I haven't tried these yet, but I'll let you know when I get around to trying them. Maybe I'll buy a bunch of different ones and have a taste test.

Almond Coconut Bar Recipe

All of my posts have been about fruits and vegetables so far. Yet, there are other healthy things that fit "in the season thereof."  So I wanted to share with you my new favorite almond coconut bar.  I made some substitutions and put them in parenthesis. The recipe is fool proof, super easy and extremely delicious. Let me know what you think.

Recipe Ingredients for Almond Coconut Bar

1/2 cup whole almonds (or chopped almonds)
1/2 cup almond slivers
1 cup krisp rice cereal
1/4 cup dried fruit (I added dried pineapple, next time I'll try cranberries)
2/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp oat flour (stick oatmeal in the blender for 30 seconds)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup coconut shreds (I used sweetened coconut b/c I didn't have coconut shreds, next time I'll used shreds because the recipe turned out a little sweeter than I wanted. Or just use 1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut)

Recipe Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.

1. Mix coconut, honey, and oat flour together in a medium bowl. Stir in almonds, dried fruit and krisp rice cereal. Mix until blended well.
2. Spray a 8 x 8 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread mixture, pressing firmly (the more you smash it the better, your kids will enjoy this part but make sure you put oil on their hands first) to the bottom of the pan. Cook 25-30 minutes, until surface is browned.
3. Let pan cool to room temperature. Transfer pan to freezer and allow to harden (I didn't need to put in the freezer) . Once firmed up, transfer the 8 x 8 contents to a cutting board. Cut into 8 even portions. Wrap in wax paper to preserve.

Meal time = Chaos???

Having difficulty feeding your kids? Ellyn Satter is a highly respected Registered Dietitian that specializes in feeding behaviors. Read this article and check out her website ellynsatterinstitute.org for tons of information regarding common feeding issues that parents struggle with.

ELLYN SATTER’S DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITY IN FEEDING
Children develop eating competence step-by-step throughout the growing-up years when they are fed according to a stage-appropriate division of responsibility. At every stage, parents take leadership with feeding and let the child be self-directed with eating.

The division of responsibility for infants:
 The parent is responsible for what.
 The child is responsible for how much (and everything else). Parents choose breast- or formula-feeding, help the infant be calm and organized, then feed smoothly, paying attention to information coming from the baby about timing, tempo, frequency, and amounts.
The division of responsibility for older babies making the transition to family food
 The parent is still responsible for what, and is becoming responsible for when and where the child is fed.
 The child is still and always responsible for how much and whether to eat the foods offered by the parent. Based on what the child can do, not on how old s/he is, parents guide the child’s transition from breast/bottle feeding through semi-solids, then thick-and-lumpy food, to finger food at family meals.
The division of responsibility for toddlers through adolescents
 The parent is responsible for what, when, where.
 The child is responsible for how much and whether. Fundamental to parents’ jobs is trusting children to decide how much and whether to eat. If parents do their jobs with feeding, children do their jobs with eating:

Parents’ feeding jobs:
 Choose and prepare the food
 Provide regular meals and snacks
 Make eating times pleasant
 Show children what they have to learn about food and mealtime behavior
 Be considerate of children’s food inexperience without catering to likes and dislikes
 Not let children have food or beverages (except for water) between meal and snack times
 Let children grow up to get bodies that are right for them
Children’s eating jobs:
 Children will eat
 They will eat the amount they need
 They will learn to eat the food their parents eat
 They will grow predictably
 They will learn to behave well at mealtime

Asparagus breakthrough research

Just in case you needed a reason to cook asparagus...look no further. 

Check out this article

http://newsletter.dole.com/2013/37734/

Although in my previous article about asparagus I said you should remove the ends, looks like a lot of benefits are found in the ends. For best flavor I would still take off the ends, but for best health I might consider keeping them on. I have heard one suggestion to peel the ends to remove the tough outer section. Maybe that would help with flavor while keeping all the health benefits. 

Mango Madness

So I think maybe it's time to switch things up... Anyone tired of green???  Well it just so happens that MANGOS were on sale at my grocery store and I picked up 4. They weren't quite ripe (very firm to touch) so I let them sit on the counter for 3-5 days. They ripened perfectly (slightly soft, but not mushy).

I remember the first time I cut a mango and I thought I knew what I was doing.  I learned quickly that mango pits are very unique. I'll spare you embarrassment I experienced and give you a visual tutorial.  Mango pits are like an egg shaped disk (I guess you'll find out what I mean once you buy and cut into a mango).

STEP 1

Leave the middle inch alone and cut off the sides. 

 STEP 2

Take one half and cut from the middle toward the skin in criss-cross lines. Then pop the half inside out. The middle section you can cut off the fruit from the pit, or just bite it off depending on your preference, or if you have to share the mango or not. :)

STEP 3

This is the big moment of decision... do you bite into the half because you cant resist it's juicy deliciousness... or do you cut off the cubes with a knife and make it into mango salsa or eat it with cottage cheese???

I've been eating them plain this week, but today I decided to branch out and eat one with cottage cheese. I love eating fruit with cottage cheese.

Ironically enough, I was showing one of my patients my favorite website for fruits and veggies and a yummy mango salsa recipe was on the front page. I haven't tried this recipe, but I do love mango salsa, so I'll include it for all of you. Try it out and let me know what you think. 

Mango Salsa

2 medium Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and cut into small chunks
½ large mango, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
1/3 cup yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
1/3 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon salt    

In a medium bowl, mix together the pears, mango, bell peppers, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, oil, lime juice, and salt. 

Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours. 

Eat it with chips or spoon it on tacos, fish, or chicken. So YUMMY!!!!

Happy cooking/snacking!!!

Succulent Spears (AKA... Asparagus)

So it's been awhile since my last post, but have no fear, I've still been cooking up a storm of vegetables. Even better news... It's spring time which means its time to pull out the BBQ and FIRE IT UP!!!

Grilled Asparagus

Wash
Snap off with your hands the dried out ends (not the spear end)
Toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper then throw it on the grill. (Or add your favorite seasonings)
Lay them crossways on the grill and then Grill on medium to high for about 10 -15 minutes depending on if you want them crispy or just cooked. If the spears are really skinny you might want to put foil on the grill so the spears don't fall through.

I've cooked asparagus on the grill about 5 times this season and my favorite turn out was when I accidentally overlooked them and they were crispy like a chip at one end with a yummy smokey flavor (not burned).

HAPPY GRILLING !!!


Check out asparagus.com for more interesting facts about asparagus.

Roasted Brussels sprouts