Category Archives: summer

Healthy Watermelon Recipes To Try This Summer

by fruit, recipes, summer

I'm starting to see beautiful personal sized watermelons at the grocery store. They're delicious and a great treat.

One of the most alkalizing foods, watermelon is a refreshing, hydrating, low calorie wonderful addition to summertime menus. High in vitamin A and C while also providing some magnesium and potassium, watermelon is a great antioxidant fruit. It also provides high levels of lycopene which studies have shown to be helpful in preventing various types of cancer. Watermelon appears to also have some effect on lowering blood pressure.

There are many delicious ways to include watermelon into your summertime menus such as making watermelon water ice or granita, making agua fresca, fruit salads, or even a savory sweet salad.  My current favorite fruit salad is rich in lycopene and anthocyanins, those dark rich fruits which are supportive of cognitive function while helping to reduce inflammation in the body.  This salad is refreshing and satisfying, I've even been including it as part of my breakfast for a delicious treat.

Anthocyanin-rich Fruit Salad

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Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups watermelon, balled
  • 1 cup blueberries, rinsed
  • 1 cup strawberries, rinsed and sliced
  • 1 cup cherries, rinsed, pitted, and quartered
  • DRESSING:
  • 1 small lime
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 tsp poppy seeds

Instructions
 

  • Mix together fruits
  • Mix together dressing in a separate cup
  • Pour dressing over fruits and toss gently
  • Let sit 30-60 minutes in the fridge before serving

After you’ve enjoyed your watermelon there still a very tasty treat available. Pickling the rind is simple and easy to do. It doesn’t take very long and the results are delicious!

It's important to note that although you can process watermelon rind pickle for long-term storage, this recipe is for the refrigerator pickle version which is imho easier and faster.

Watermelon Rind Pickles

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Ingredients
  

  • Rinds from 1/2 of a large watermelon
  • 4 cups apple cider vinegar (with the mother)
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups cane juice crystals or other low process sugar
  • 1/3 cup kosher salt
  • SEASONING: 2 sticks cinnamon or 2” piece fresh ginger or 1 jalapeño (seeded) or 1 lemon thinly sliced

Instructions
 

  • When cutting watermelon leave 1/4-1/2” of red flesh on the rind
  • Using a vegetable peeler thoroughly remove the green rind
  • Cut rind into -1 1/2” pieces
  • Combine vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and seasoning in pot (large enough to also hold the watermelon rind)
  • Bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt
  • Add the watermelon rind
  • Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes
  • Remove pan from heat and let cool to room temperature (about) one hour
  • Transfer rind to clean and sterilized wide-mouth pint or quart canning jars
  • Cover with pickling brine (do not include seasonings otherwise the flavor gets too strong)
  • Refrigerate overnight before serving
  • Keeps 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator

Zoodles And Sausage

by flexitarian, gluten free, recipes, summer, vegetables, ,

It's zucchini season, that means LOTS of zucchini and a distinct need for more recipes. And while zucchini bread is really delicious, there's only so much of that that you can eat in one season.

Below is a dinner that I made recently using zucchini noodles or zoodles. One of the great things about this dish, aside from using up more zucchini, is that it's quick, easy, and very tasty. It's an assembly-style dish. You cook each of the layers individually and when you get to the last layer dinner is done.  Most of the time is spent in prep-work, the actual cooking doesn't take too long.  I do keep the dish in the oven in between layers (set to 250 degrees) to make sure everything stays warm.

 

Making Zoodles

 

These days with so many people eating gluten-free that means no pasta. The challenge is that there are so many delicious recipes out there that use noodles as a base.  My favorite solution is to make zoodles. You can even use the oversize-on-their-way-to-baseball-bat sized zucchini.  Of course, you can use the smaller, more tender ones too, really, in this case, any zucchini will do.

Previously the best way to make zoodles was to use a vegetable peeler, carefully peeling each side. This meant you had a leftover core with lots of seeds in it.  Sure you could cut up the core and throw it into your recipes, but somehow it always seemed to get just a little gloopy. Nowadays some genius has invented a zoodler that does it for you. Not only can you make noodles from zucchini, using this amazing device you can "zoodle" a whole bunch of different vegetables like carrots, beets, and more.  It's a fabulous way to add more veggies to your diet.  

So grab your zoodler and let's get going...

Zoodles And Sausage

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 package pre-cooked, chicken cilantro sausage
  • 1-2 zucchini, turned into zoodles
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large sweet onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large tomato, diced
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup minced cilantro
  • sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet
  • Add 1/2 of the diced onion and the garlic
  • When the onion starts to soften turn down the heat slightly and add the zucchini
  • Toss and cook the zucchini for approximately 5 minutes until it is coated in oil and warmed through
  • Place zucchini and onions into a serving dish
  • Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet
  • Add the rest of the onion
  • When onion starts to soften add bell pepper, tomato, and tomato paste
  • Saute until bell pepper starts to soften
  • Add salt and pepper to taste
  • Spoon mixture over zucchini noodles
  • Place sausage in the skillet and heat until browned on the outside
  • Remove sausage from skillet and slice into bite sized pieces
  • Sprinkle sausage pieces on top of dish
  • Garnish with cilantro

Notes

If necessary you can make this dish ahead.  Simply reheat in a 300 F degree oven for about 20 minutes until all of the ingredients are warmed through

Swiss Chard

by summer, vegetables, vegetarian
Swiss chard | Jonathunder

I love Swiss chard.  Of course I love all of the dark leafy green but Swiss chard is one of my favorites.  Colorful, delicious and easy to use in so many different ways it's really a fabulous green to add to your food plan.  I just finished planting some in my garden and am eagerly awaiting it's growth so that we can enjoy it.

Apparently originally from Sicily one of the great things about Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris) is that you can eat the leaves when they are young and quite tender but they are still tasty when they are larger and more mature.  The ruby and rainbow varieties are more colorful and I confess a preference that is totally related to that color as  I enjoy seeing their beautiful stems and leaves in the garden or in my dishes.  For productivity however, the plain green variety does seem to produce more heavily.  On the other hand, like beets, the red and rainbow varieties are higher in betacyanins, which are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and believed to support detoxification.

Nutritionally, like all the dark leafy greens, Swiss chard is a powerhouse food to add to your diet.  One cup of the cooked greens provides more than the RDV for vitamin K and vitamin A and around 50% of the RDV for vitamin C.  It also delivers a substantial amount of minerals like magnesium, manganese, potassium, and iron.

Recently I came across these two recipes for Swiss chard from Martha Rose Schulman in her New York Times column and they look so delicious they will definitely be included in how we eat this fabulous green this summer.

Stir Fried Swiss Chard and Red Peppers

Swiss Chard and Chickpea Minestrone

What's your favorite way to eat this wonderful leafy vegetable?  I'd love it if you'd share a recipe or two.

Delicious Creamy Yogurt

The Things You Need To Know About Yogurt

by dairy, probiotics, summer

The Changing Styles of Yogurt

There are so many changes happening in the yogurt section of the grocery stores lately.  It used to be that it was either plain, a gelatinized “Swiss-style” fruit mixed in, or a fruit-on-the-bottom kind of product.  At least that's what was presented to us at the grocery store.  Then came those tubes, the squeeze-able varieties. Now we see more drinkables including kefir, a fermented yogurt.  The fermentation increases the probiotic activity of the yogurt and can be very healthy for you as long as the cultures are live.  Soon enough we'll probably start seeing bottled containers of lassi which is a similar fermented yogurt drink from India.

Your grocery store's yogurt case has gone global. There are a lot of different kinds of yogurts from different cultures. Greek, Australian, Icelandic, Bulgarian, and more. There's also goat's milk, coconut milk, almond milk, and oat milk styles. The alternative milk varieties are geared towards those people who have lactose intolerance, but they seem to be gaining traction with people looking for more variety.

Many people seem to prefer Greek yogurt due to it's heavier, creamy consistency. It's higher in protein, almost 50% more according to the Berkeley Wellness Letter.  The whey is strained out leaving a thicker product with a longer shelf life.  Straining out the whey creates a product that is higher in fat and lower in calcium but also lower in lactose (the milk sugar that some people have trouble digesting). 

Ingredients In Yogurt

Although yogurt is generally thought of as a health food, store-bought options are often packed with chemicals, potentially genetically modified ingredients, artificial flavorings, artificial colors, and added sugars or artificial sweeteners. Making healthy choices isn’t always easy. There are too many low-fat options which are often packed with negative ingredients.  The fruit yogurts not only contain the natural sugars of the fruits but typically have added sweeteners as well and artificial colors.  Reading the label is critical to avoiding excess sugars and other negative ingredients.

Plain, whole-milk yogurt is the best option.  Fresh fruit or jam can be added for sweetness without the chemicals or other adulterants.  (Of course, this does require checking the label on the jam as well if it is not homemade).  Additionally, you need to choose yogurt which does not contain rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) a hormone which has been linked to increased rates of diabetes and other health issues.  Look for the label to state that the milk was from cows not treated with rBGH or choose organic.  It's also highly recommended that you buy whole-milk (sometimes referred to as 4% milkfat) as this provides the fat needed for the body to properly process vitamin D (a fat-soluble vitamin).

Making Yogurt At Home

To make yogurt you'll need a starter.  While it is possible to use store-bought active culture as your starter, in order to ensure a good balance of probiotics or beneficial bacteria it is often helpful to purchase a starter culture. Simply follow the instructions in the packet to make your initial batch of starter.

Once you have a culture that you can use, either the starter or a store-bought, you will be ready to create subsequent batches of yogurt.  You will need about half a cup of yogurt for every half a gallon of milk that you use.

  • Heat your milk on the stovetop in your Dutch oven or a non-reactive saucepan; stir gently as it heats
  • When it reaches 200F, or just below the temperature when it would boil, let it cool to 115F
  • Take a half a cup of the warm milk and whisk it together with your yogurt in a separate container
  • Add this mixture back into the rest of the milk and whisk it together
  • Keep your mixture at 115F for about 4 hours; you can simply heat your oven to 115F, then turn it off
  • Place a lid on your saucepan or Dutch oven, wrap it in a few layers of towels and place it back in a draft-free space such as your oven or a microwave oven overnight or until it has set and looks like yogurt
  • When it's ready, pour the yogurt into containers and store in the refrigerator

Making it Greek-style

Many people don't realize how simple it is to make a Greek-style yogurt of your own.  

  • Take 32-ounces of whole milk, organic, live culture yogurt
  • Line a colander with cheesecloth (you can also use an unbleached coffee filter or a cloth napkin) 
  • Place the colander on top of a bowl and pour the yogurt in
  • Put the whole thing in the fridge overnight
  • In the morning you have a thicker, Greek-style yogurt plus the whey which has strained out

Whey is wonderful for soaking beans, it can also be added to soups or smoothies. Some people even drink it straight.  If I have too much I usually feed the extra to the dogs, they consider it a great treat.

What To Do With It?

Yogurt is delicious just as it is but can be used in a wide variety of ways. It can be served both sweet or savory.

  • Make parfaits by layering granola with fresh fruit (a tasty treat for breakfast or delicious as a dessert)
  • Thickened yogurt can be used as a substitute for sour cream
  • Adding herbs allows you to make a savory dip
  • Yogurt and fresh lime juice are just two of the ingredients needed for a really delicious chicken marinade
  • It can even be added to some baked goods to help make them moist
  • One of my favorite ways to eat it is to mix it with cottage cheese and a bunch of fresh vegetables, such as cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and chunks of sweet peppers. Add a pinch of sea salt and a grind of fresh pepper and you've got a tasty summer lunch. 

Different Dishes Around The World

In addition to different types of yogurt culture, many cuisines have a yogurt dish of some kind mixed with different spices or foods to make a condiment. 

  • In India there is a shredded cucumber yogurt dish with scallions, garlic, cumin and pepper that helps to cut the spicy heat of the cuisine called Raita
  • A similar dish can be found in Greek cultures and is called Tzatziki; it's made with yogurt, cucumber, garlic, and mint
  • There's an Israeli yogurt called Labneh which has a little salt in it. Sometimes it's thickened and turned into a Labneh cheese
  • Bulgaria even has a cold soup called Tarator which is made with yogurt, cucumber, dill, garlic, walnuts, and oil, it makes a great starter for a meal on a hot day

Whatever style or type of yogurt you are eating (or drinking) it is important to remember that you want the real stuff.  Live cultures, no added artificial ingredients, just good, healthy, probiotic, digestive supporting yogurt.

 

Alicia Lawrence contributed to this article.  She is a content coordinator for WebpageFX and when not at work she enjoys cooking with her ceramic cookware, shopping at farmers markets or blogging about travel, nutrition, and public relations.

photo credit: Patrick Neufelder

watermelon for agua fresca

Quench Your Thirst With Agua Fresca

by drinks, fruit, seasons, summer

Agua fresca is Spanish for fresh waters. It's a refreshing non-alcoholic summer-y drink with origins in Mexico where it is sold by street vendors.  In South and Central American stores or restaurants you can sometimes you can find it in large containers where it is ladled out by the glassful.  Agua fresca is a great drink for warm weather. It's a hydrating and satisfying thirst quencher that is much better than soda or over-sugared bottled drinks and fountain drinks.

Agua fresca is usually made with fruit, lime juice, and water.  Watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberry, and pineapple are popular flavors.  When you make them at home the ingredients can be adjusted for personal taste.  Often there's no need to add sugar, because the fruits are sweet enough on their own.  Because you don't strain the agua fresca after blending it (unless it's too thick in which case you can lightly strain to remove larger pieces) you're also getting some of the healthy fiber.

What fruits to use

Just about any fruit or fruit combination is fair game when it comes to agua fresca. Of course you'll need water and lime juice.  Substitute lemon if you're out of limes, but trust me it's somehow better with lime juice.  Mangos, peaches, pineapple, there's really no limit to the tasty and refreshing combinations you can make.

One of my personal choices for a great agua fresca is watermelon which is abundantly available in the summertime. Juicy and delicious, watermelon is in vitamin C  and lycopene, as well as being rich in the electrolytes potassium  and sodium.  This makes it a fabulous choice for summer time when we tend to lose a lot of electrolytes through perspiration.  

Luciano Pavarotti once said, “Watermelon, it's a great fruit. You eat, you drink, you wash your face.”  If you're eating it that's certainly true.  With an agua fresca you can still enjoy the wonderful flavor and not have to worry about the wash your face part.  Here's my favorite recipe:

 

Agua Fresca
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Ingredients
  1. 2 C. strawberries, dehulled
  2. 3 C. watermelon, removed from the rind and pitted
  3. juice of 1/2 a lime
  4. 1/3-1/2 C. of ice cold water
  5. mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
  1. Place berries, watermelon and lime juice in a blender
  2. Blend until well mixed
  3. Add water until you reach a consistency that you prefer
  4. Garnish and enjoy!
The Ingredient Guru, Mira Dessy https://theingredientguru.com/