June starts tomorrow and the thermometer has risen so Summer
is here! I love the ease of summer days
and the delicious foods it brings.
However, too quickly the excitement wears off of the first corn on the
cob, sliced watermelon and berries, berries, berries. I immediately begin to think what else can we
eat? What is available? What haven’t we tried yet? All it took was a trip to the produce section
of my local Whole Foods and here is what I found to share with you:
1.
Yard-long
beans taste much like common green beans but are more tender when cooked
and turn a much darker green. They are
most beautiful when kept long but can be chopped as needed, for recipes and are
great in soups, salads, and stir-fries.
For information on how to grow your own yard-long beans visit www.sunset.com/best-crops.
2
Kale is one of
the healthiest vegetables since it is packed with antioxidants as well as other
important nutrients not found in many foods.
My favorite variety is Lacinato or Tuscan kale. It features dark
blue-green leaves that have an embossed texture. It has a slightly sweeter and
more delicate taste than curly kale. To
ensure you get the most kale has to offer prepare it properly. Visit http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?dbid=38&tname=foodspice for
instructions on how to prepare it and the list of nutrients kale offers.
3
Watermelon
radishes are a beautiful addition to any summer BBQ. They can be served fresh or cooked, hot or
cold. They pair well with fennel, apple, cheeses such as feta and chèvre,
butter, creamy based dressings, vinaigrette, bacon, white fish, cucumbers,
mild salad greens, cooked eggs, noodles such as soba and udon, citrus,
cilantro, mint and tarragon. They are a
relative of the daikon radish so they are mild in flavor with a crisp texture.
4
Yellow beets
are
milder and sweeter than red beets which tend to taste a bit like dirt. Offering potassium, fiber, folic acid and iron,
these beauties make a wonderful salad to accompany any summer meal out by the
pool. Here is a recipe for one of my family’s
favorites, Beet Salad: Peel beets and cut into cubes. Steam until tender. Place in bowl, add sliced garlic and feta
cheese chunks to taste, toss with olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. May be refrigerated for several days.
5
Colored
carrots offer a fun twist to your carrot slaw or your hummus dip
platter. Here is how each tastes
compared to the standard orange variety:
a. Red carrots don't differ in taste
much from orange carrots. Their red color, though, comes from lycopene, the
heralded antioxidant in tomatoes.
b. Purple carrots are only purple on the
outside – their insides tend to be pretty orange colored. They have an
intensely sweet flavor, though, that can sometimes even have a little peppery
flavor.
c. White or golden carrots are
yellow or cream colored. They are mild and a bit sweeter than orange, red, or
purple carrots.
For more on carrots visit http://localfoods.about.com/od/carrots/tp/Taste-Of-Different-Color-Carrots.htm
Happy
Eating!
Health Tip: Grapefruit Avocado Salad....another treat to try this summer!
One of my families favorite summer treats!
Grapefruit
Avocado Salad
6 - 8
servings
3 large
pink grapefruit
2 ripe
avocados
Dressing:
Olive oil
Celtic
Sea salt
Freshly
ground pepper
Slice the
top and bottom off the grapefruits.
Slice the peels off by placing grapefruit on flat top or bottom and starting
from the top edge of the peel, slice downwards towards the bottom I strips
until no peel remains. Cut the
grapefruit in half, then slice it lengthwise into four strips then cut them so
the grapefruit is in chunks. Remove any
seeds. Place in bowl. Peel avocado and
cut in chunks, same as grapefruit. Place
in bowl. Toss grapefruit and
avocado. Drizzle olive oil, sprinkle sea
salt and grind fresh pepper over the top.
