Cherries - Probably my favorite summer fruit!

Anyone who knows me, knows my passion for cherries.  I will walk by the street vendors in NYC and buy 2 pounds at a time (you get a better deal).  Sometimes even twice a week.  I am worry that they will disappear without notice.  During the winter, I get the frozen ones.  Those are nice because they are sans pit.

There are two basic groups of cherries - sweet and sour. The most common sweet cherries we eat like candy include bing, black, and Ranier. The sour cherries - montmorency, are usually used for pies and fruit sauces. It is challenging to find the sour cherries.  The sour cherries are slightly lower on the glycemic load index therefore raising your blood glucose a little less than the sweet ones.

Both groups are full of health benefits, however the sour cherries are more abundant in the quantity of the nutrients.  The benefits can be obtained from cherry juice as well but keep in moderation as cherries are high in sugar to begin with and in the juice you are not getting the advantages of the fiber.  A few benefits include:

• Antioxidants - vitamins A & C, melatonin,  and beta carotene, which help fight the free radicals in the body which can damage and destroy cells. 
• Anti-inflammatory and increased memory effects because of the abundance of anthocyanins. 
• Anti-carcinogenic properties due to quercetin 
• Contain the minerals magnesium, iron, folate, potassium, boron, and fiber.

The best recipe I have for fresh cherries is to rinse and eat.  Much easier than trying to cut around the pit or using a cherry pitter.  Frozen cherries - put in yogurt or ricotta cheese to make a deliciously sweet breakfast and add a little amaretto and slivered almonds.   Also, puree the frozen cherries in a blender or food processor for a sorbet like dessert.  Perfect for the end of summer.



Antiodxidant-fruits. 2009. Web. 09 Aug 2015. http://www.antioxidant-fruits.com/
Berkeley Wellness. Remedy Health Media, UC Berkeley. 2015. Web. 09 Aug 2015.  http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food/article/types-cherries
Self Nutrition Data. CondeNaste, 2014. Web. 09 Aug 2015. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1867/2 and http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1861/2

Ice Cube Trays - 5 Tips for an Indispensable Kitchen Gadget for Preventing Food Waste!

Are you thinking ice cube trays, really???? And the answer is yes.  Using the ice cube trays to freeze things helps prevent waste which is good for the environment and your pocket book.  I know this list is endless.  Once the liquid is frozen, remove them an place them into plastic bags or other container in your freezer so you have empty trays to reuse.  Remember to label the containers as you will forget what is in there.  I forget all the time!

1. Coffee and Tea - Make a little extra coffee and tea.  Put it in the freezer in the ice cube trays.  Add it to your coffee and tea without watering it down. Or into some Bailey's or Amaretto.
2. Wine - In those rare cases you have some left, it does freeze. I know from the bottle I accidentally left in there!  You can then add it to your recipes without it being "off".
3. Milk (cow, soy, almond, cashew, etc) - I never use milk fast enough. It inevitably goes bad.  I'll freeze it in water bottles or other containers to reuse at a later date.  Know that the consistency of the non-dairy milks may change a bit and will require more mixing to combine
   
   the particles that have separated in the freezing/thawing process. I have also started putting them in ice cube trays to then put in a frozen smoothie, an orange julius type drink we made growing up, or even iced coffee.  Add some vanilla, chocolate, or other flavoring before freezing too!
4. Fruit - I have been freezing fruit before it goes bad. Happens quickly especially when you get if from the vendors on the streets in NYC.  You can freeze them whole or put some in the ice cube trays with some water to add to water or tea or wine for a different flavor.
5. Flowers and herbs  - freeze them in water, edible flowers such as lavender and the flowers when basil and mint blossom.  Add them to water or seltzer.  What's Cooking America has a very comprehensive list.

Have more suggestions not on the list?  Add to it in the comments below and share!!

Orange Julius (Orange July haha)

6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate (or other frozen juices)

1 c water

1/2 c milk (substitute 6 milk ice cubes, heavy cream, almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk)

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 c sugar (or less or powdered sugar, I find it sweet enough with the concentrated oj and less liquid)

10 ice cubes

Additions I have experimented with that change it up you can add in addition to the basic recipe...

3T egg white opt (caution when using raw egg products for salmonella and other possible illnesses, use a pasteurized egg white product.)**

1/8 c vanilla protein powder opt
1/8 T hemp, flax, or chia seeds

I just add all the ingredients to the blender and go.  The simpler the better.  Crush the ice to desired consistency.

Serves 4

**http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/egg-safety-tips-recipes-and-eggcetera

Fueling Your Body and Soul

It is amazing how what energy we put into our body makes us feel both. Energy is not only in the form of calories but emotional, spiritual, and physical too.

Normally, I wake up. Have about 16 oz. of water to re-hydrate myself before I do anything else. Exercising first thing in the morning usually sets me on a path of 90% smart food and drink choices for the day. It helps my attitude too because my body feels good.

Yesterday, I did not fuel myself well.  It was a bad vegetarian day. Doughnut and coffee for breakfast.  Mind you it was an amazing, well-made minimal preservative doughnut from Sullivan Bakery and it was Peet’s coffee.  This was before my first glass of water.  Lunch wasn’t much better but I did manage to get some sugar snap peas in.  I swam a mile, ate some cheese and olives and then rode my bike about 4 miles. 

I managed to fuel my soul with going to a Make-a-Wish wish granting event. An Italian boy wanted to perform a rock concert in a club with his brother in NYC as his wish.  There were a good 50 people there.  It is such a great organization and it was wonderful to see the support.  They boys did a great job.  You could see the excitement in their faces. (Also, on Saturday, I volunteered for Make-a-Wish was part of the Urban Mudder on Randall's Island.)

Then, dinner was chips and guacamole with a margarita and a half. (The margarita blog is on its way, sit tight.) They were all made with fresh ingredients, no preservatives, and no corn syrup.  I had plenty of water throughout the day and Blood Orange Iced Tea from Harney & Sons.  The choices of better quality ingredients and the liquids probably did make me feel less cruddy than I do this morning.

The food intake the day before is leading to a sluggish start to the day. Fueling myself with water, fruit, and yogurt to get on the right track today along with my morning exercise and stretching.  Remember what you do put in your body does affect the way you feel physically and mentally. I want to begin and end each day knowing I am the happiest healthiest me I can be.

Quick recipe tip of the day – Add frozen fruit to your non-fat or low-fat plain yogurt.  As it defrosts, the fruit naturally sweetens the yogurt.  You get a lot of flavor, protein, calcium, and no extra calories from added sugars and no artificial sweeteners.  Cost saving and environmentally friendly tip is to buy the large container of yogurt and portion servings into reusable containers. 

Pumpkin Season!!!

Is there a difference between "pumpkin" and "squash"?   

Nope. Not really. Shapes. Sizes.  Harvest time.

This is the best answer I could find:

"Squash are generally separated into three categories: summer squash, winter squash, and pumpkins. The difference between them all is really just based on how they are used. Summer squash are harvested when young and tender, while winter squash are harvested when hard and ripe. Pumpkins are really just winter squash, but have a distinctive pumpkin shape."* 

Not to mention there are SOOOO many varieties.  I found great lists (plus additional recipes) - All About Pumpkins Varieties and Seed to Supper. 

Pumpkin is so nutritious, full of fiber to fill you up and beta-carotene that amazing anti-oxidant to fight the free radicals in your body.  Here is the skinny on pumpkin:

1 cup of cooked pumpkin flesh contains**:

Calories 49                        Protein 2 grams

Carbohydrate 12 grams    Dietary Fiber 3 grams

Calcium 37 mg - healthy bones

Iron 1.4 mg - healthy blood

Magnesium 22 mg - bones, protein building, muscular & nerve functions

Potassium 564 mg - protein building, electrolyte & fluid balance, muscular contractions, nerve impulses

Zinc 1 mg  - hormones, enzyme making, protein building, immunity

Selenium .50 mg - enzymes for defending against oxidation

Vitamin C 12 mg - antioxidant, immunity, absorption of Vitamin E & iron

Niacin 1 mg - energy metabolism

Folate 21 mcg - new cell synthesis

Vitamin A 2650 IU - vision, immunity, antioxidant

Vitamin E 3 mg - antioxidant, immunity, nerve development

Share which squash is your favorite and great pumpkin carvings too on That’s Vegetarian’s Blogwhere you can find more pumpkin recipes too.

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Pumpkin Pie Frozen Yogurt

32 oz low-fat plain yogurt, strained for about 5 hours
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Strain the yogurt using a colander or strainer lined with cheese cloth, a paper towel or coffee filter for 5 hours or over night to remove most of the water to prevent ice crystal from forming in the yogurt.  You can substitute non-fat yogurt but the low-fat makes a better frozen yogurt.
Once that is complete, in a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth. Refrigerate the mixture until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours.
Follow manufacturer’s instructions for your ice cream/yogurt maker. Enjoy immediately or place in airtight container in freezer.  Remove about 2o minutes prior to serving time.

Prep Time: 15 min

Wait time: up to 8 hours
Freeze time: depends on your machine
Difficulty level: easy
Serves 4
PP: 6 (same pp value if you use non-fat yogurt)
Download recipe pdf by clicking this link:

https://gallery.mailchimp.com/1edba23076ec479c23fb9ff23/files/Pumpkin_Pie_Frozen_Yogurt.pdf

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* www.weekendgardener.net/vegetables/squash-winter.htm   

**www.allaboutpumpkins.com/facts.html 

Gotta Love Them Apples!

Feel the soft supple skin.  Is it firm to the touch or does it have some give?  Smell the sweet fragrance.  Gently bring it up to your mouth, touch it to your lips, open wide and one healthy bite into the sweet flesh until the juice starts to slide down your hand.  Slowly pull it away.  Savor the taste as you slowly chew on the crisp flesh of that delicious Winesap apple.  The ever sensual apple.

There are over 7,500 apple varieties, so many more that I remember from my childhood.  Many exciting varietals are actually hybrids – Jonagold is a cross between Jonathan and Golden Delicious, Empire is a cross between the Red Delicious and McIntosh, and the Mitsu (Crispin) is a cross between Golden Delicious and Indu.  Who knew?

 

Apples can be a combination of sweet and tart and a spectrum from crisp to mealy.  Ever have a spicy apple?  Try a Winesap.

Apples are primarily a late summer/fall harvest fruit but do harvest into November especially for winter varieties like Mitsu, Fuji, Northern Spy, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith.   

When choosing the right apple, make sure there are no bruises.  The ones you get in a regular supermarket are the prettiest of the bunch often waxed to perfection.  Don't be afraid of the ones that are a little less shiny and raw looking.  Less tampering with mother nature.  I think the naked Winesaps pictured above are beautiful.  Also note that apples fall into the dirty dozen from the Environmental Working Group - which means, organic is best for apples. They retain and or use a lot of pesticides in the crop. 

General rule of thumb is to store in a dark cool place.   Ever use an apple in a paper bag to ripen other fruits and vegetables?  Well it is a great trick when you need them to ripen faster.  Apples give off ethylene gas which speeds the ripening.  So use caution leaving apples in your fruit crisper in the fridge.  Keep the apple in a plastic bag in the drawer.

Apples are a good source of fiber and vitamin C.

Which apples do you like to use for what purpose?  And if you really feel adventurous – Why?  Please comment on That’s Vegetarian’s Blog below!

Apple Crisp

Topping

1c        Quick Rolled Oats                1T     Flax seed meal 

1/3c     Brown sugar                          1t     Cinnamon

1/2c     Whole wheat flour                1/2t  Nutmeg (Or 1-1/2t Pumpkin pie spice)

1/4c     Butter or margarine (VEGAN)

Filling

8c        Apples (approx 8 medium apples), halved then sliced*

Juice from one lemon                    1T     White flour

1t         Cinnamon                            1/4c  Maple syrup

Spray  8” pie dish with vegetable oil.  Set aside.  (Or use ramekins or lined cupcake tins for individual servings)  Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine sliced apples, lemon juice, white flour, cinnamon, and maple syrup.  Pour into prepared pie dish.

In same bowl, mix dry ingredients of topping  - oats, brown sugar, flour, flax meal, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Add cold butter (or margarine) and mush together with hands until crumbly.  Spread evenly over filling.

Bake for 30 minutes or until filling is soft when pierced with a fork.  If topping gets too dark, cover with foil.

* Substitute pears, plums, peaches, rhubarb, berries, etc or a combination of a few.

Prep Time: 20 min

Bake Time: 30 min

Serves 8

7ppv

Apple Crisp Printable Recipe

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/visualguideapples

http://www.pickyourown.org/apples.htm

http://www.foodsubs.com/Apples.html

http://www.joyofbaking.com/apples.html

http://www.paulusorchards.com/apple_faq.htm

http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/

Apple Butternut Squash Soup Just in Time for Thanksgiving!!

Ahhhhh, Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  For those of you who haven’t gone shopping for your Turkey Day feast, here is a great recipe for you.  And surprise surprise – no turkey here.  I enjoy the fixins but not any of that fake turkey stuff.  Staying away from the over processed products as much as I can.  I have my weaknesses (fakin), but I can do without the other “look like meat” products. 

Add this great Apple Butternut Squash Soup with the special ingredient of red lentils.  When the red lentils are pureed with the soup you can’t even tell they are in there.  Plus, they don’t need to be soaked because they are so small.  By roasting the squash instead of boiling it, a layer of complexity and a sweet caramelization develops.

This soup is chock full of nutrients and a great cold buster.  Butternut squash is super high in Vitamin A and pretty substantial in Vitamin C, Manganese, and Potassium.  It is also a good source of Vitamin E, bunch of B’s, Calcium and Magnesium.  The apples add even more Vitamin C and fiber.  Red lentils add more fiber, protein, Folate, Iron, Copper, and Manganese.  Ginger is great for digestion, cold prevention, migraine relief, and pain and inflammation.  Nutmeg is good for brain stimulation, pain relief, indigestion and cleansing.  I didn’t know this soup was so beneficial!!!

Also check out our previous blogs for additional information and recipes for the fall:

Gotta Love Them Apples!

Beans Beans Glorious Beans

MoreSquash and Pumpkin Ideas

Eating What’s in Season

Grab the ingredients at the grocery store when you go out and give your friends and family a treat for Thanksgiving!!

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Apple Butternut Squash Soup

Olive Oil Sprayer

1t Olive oil

2 Apples, medium, chopped, peeled optional

3/4c Onions, chopped

1t Ginger, fresh grated

1/2t Nutmeg

1/4t Ground red pepper

2c Vegetable broth

6c Water

1c Red lentils

3c Butternut squash, 1” cubes, peeled optional

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.  Spray a baking sheet with the olive oil and place the cubed butternut squash in a single layer.  Spray with more olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss.  Roast for about 30 minutes tossing after 15 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, prepare the remaining ingredients.  Add 1 t olive oil to pot.  Add the chopped onions and apples.  When soft, add nutmeg, ginger, and red pepper.  Stir.  Wait a minute or so until you can smell the spices come alive and fragrant.  Add broth, lentils and water.  Simmer for 30 minutes. 

Remove squash from oven and add to simmering soup.  Cook for an additional 10 minutes.  Puree in blender or using a stick blender.  Be careful as the soup is HOT.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with fresh ginger and nutmeg.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves 8, about 1 cup each

Level of difficulty - Intermediate.

3 pp

Printable Apple Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Fakin' Aspragus Recipe

Mock comfort food + something healthy = Fakin' Asparagus!!!

It is the fantastic combination of smoky, salty, crunchy with crisp, clean, caramelized heaven.  Fakin' Asparagus is a great appetizer especially in the spring and early summer when asparagus is in season.  I wanted to get the recipe out before they were out of season.  Remember to check out That's Vegetarian Eating What's in Season for valuable resources on seasonal foods by locale.  

I use Morningstar Farms Bacon Strips because they are the closest to the bacon essence. They are very similar to the salad topping Bacos, which are vegetarian as well.  They are also lower in fat, cholesterol and calories.

Baked Pork Bacon

Morningstar Farms Bacon Strips

Bacon - Almost 2xs the calories & fat;  50% more sodium; less fiber, iron & calcium. However, bacon does have 3x's as much protein.  
The serving size of bacon is half of the fakin on the right. Double amounts on left when comparing.



Let me now redeem my recipe with the facts about asparagus.  It is low in sodium to balance out the sodium of the fakin'.  It contains many minerals and vitamins including potassium, magnesium, manganese, vitamins A, C, E, K, and an entire slew of the B family.  

Fakin' Asparagus is a fun appetizer that has a comfy feel to it.  Try it now while the asparagus is still in season.

Watch the video, print the recipe, prepare any one of the dishes and you'll find yourself saying "That's Vegetarian?!"

FAKIN' ASPARAGUS RECIPE

1 Box Morningstar Farms Bacon Strips

36-72 Asparagus spears

1/4 c Fresh Parmesan cheese, shaved (opt)

Defrost the Morningstar Farms Bacon Strips for at least 1 hour to increase ease of handling.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Break the ends of the asparagus stalks by holding at the blunt end and a 1/4 of the way down from the tip. This will allow the asparagus to break at the best point to eliminate any excessive fibrous ends. Spray baking dish with olive oil, place rinsed trimmed asparagus in pan, sprinkle with pepper and toss in pan. Bake at 400F for 5 minutes, 4 if the stalks are thin.

Remove the asparagus and let cool for about 5 minutes, until they are at a comfortable temperature for handling.

Fakin' Asparagus Video

Grab 2-4 stalks of asparagus all facing the same direction and one MF bacon strip. Wrap the asparagus with the fakin from the tip down on an angle slightly overlapping. Place in the same baking dish with the edge of the fakin closest to the bottom of the spear face down on the pan to prevent it from unraveling.

Bake at 400F for about 4 minutes, until the strips have browned. Watch closely as they brown quickly since they are defrosted. Remove from oven once lightly browned.

Cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Bake time: 5 minutes for asparagus, 4-5 minutes for wrapped asparagus

Serving size: 3 pieces

Serves 6

Level of difficulty - easy.

3pp with or without the cheese because there is so little.

Fakin' Asparagus Printable Recipe

http://www.morningstarfarms.com/morningstar-farms-veggie-bacon-strips.renderImageText.html?BID=29192&MD5=714d8244ef514ee6b9b94c873e6a1ade&FT=MorningStarFarmsVeggieBaconStrips_352&productORrecipe=product&freeTextPresent=no

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/10602/2

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/pork-products/7354/2