Summer’s Last Sigh… Market Recipe: Greek Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes
- At September 27, 2013
- By Katherine
- In News, Recipes
0
Four Seasons Displaying Greek Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Tabouleh with Chick Peas, Seasonal Vegetables and a Lemon, Basil Vinaigrette, and Fruit Smoothies, all from "Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes" and prepared by Four Seasons Hotel Executive Chef Douglas Anderson for my Presentation: 4 Steps to Building Muscular Strength
Don’t say good-by to summer yet. There is still plenty of summer’s most lovely seasonal produce, particulary heirloom tomatoes – my favorite – to entertain with, as evidenced by Four Seasons’ beautifully prepared Greek Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, and other recipes from Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes. They were uniquely and beautifully interpreted by the Four Seasons Hotel Executive Chef Douglas Anderson for my presentation, “Four Steps For Strengthening Muscles – Some Surprising News” exclusively for Four Seasons Health Club members.
Four Seasons Hotel Executive Chef Douglas Anderson
Every vegetable in the recipe – the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, sweet onions, and garlic – can be found at the local Farmers Markets at Rose Park on Wednesday or Dupont Circle on Sunday or any other Fresh Farm Market locations. The possibilities are endless! This is a naturally vegetarian recipe. But for the meat lovers, it’s great with grilled chicken or seafood on the side.
“Katherine’s Market Recipes,” are designed to be delicious, easy, quick, family-friendly, nutritious (heart-healthy & diabetes-friendly), and to highlight produce found at our local Farmers Markets this week. At your Farmers Market, you’ll find produce picked at peak ripeness, which means maximum flavor, texture and nutrition. You’re also helping save the environment when you buy at your Farmers Market. Here’s how…
Greek Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes as interpreted by Four Seasons Hotel Executive Chef Douglas Anderson
Greek Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes
From Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook in Season!
8 servings
Ingredients:
Vinaigrette:
2 Tablespoons Freshly Harvested Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice (1 Lemon)
1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Oregano or Basil (or 1 tsp dried)
1 Clove Garlic, Minced (optional)
Salt and Pepper to Taste (Salt is not necessary with the cheese and olives)
Vegetables:
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced into a half-moon shape
1 onion, peeled and chopped coarsely
1 medium yellow, purple or green bell pepper, cored, seeded, chopped into large bite-size pieces
1 cup pitted Kalamata or other Greek Olives
4 Heirloom Tomatoes, quartered, and cut into large, bite-size pieces
4 ounces Feta or Goat Cheese, broken into small bits
Instructions:
Combine the vinaigrette ingredients in a large salad bowl and whisk until blended. Add the cucumbers, onion, pepper, and olives and toss into vinaigrette. Let sit for twenty minutes to marinate. Add the heirloom tomatoes and cheese when ready to serve.
Katherine Tallmadge presenting to Four Seasons Health Club members
Tomatoes are one of the “superfoods.” Men who consumed 10 or more servings of tomato products a week had a 35% decrease in risk of prostate cancer relative to those who consumed 1.5 servings or fewer per week. This is largely attributed to “lycopene” in the tomatoes, which is also in other red fruits such as watermelon, pink grapefruit and guava. Men with lycopene levels in the top 20% had a 46% decrease in risk of heart attack compared to those in the bottom 20%. Lycopene is a potent scavenger of gene-damaging free radicals. But don’t expect to get it from a supplement. You must eat the tomato as you need the whole food to receive the benefits! Here’s an explanation…
Lycopene (Red fruits such as tomatoes, watermelon, guava): Many studies have shown that lycopene-rich foods reduce the risk of prostate cancer, but the mechanism behind that reduction was not well understood until now. A recent study found that lycopene has a substantial protective effect against prostate cancer by interfering with the genes that would allow the prostate cancer cells to grow and survive. The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends that men take advantage of lycopene’s cancer-preventing effects and fill their diets with foods such as tomatoes, watermelon and guava.
- Bottom line: Fill your diet with lycopene-rich foods such as tomatoes, watermelon, and red grapefruit. Remember—the cancer-fighting properties of lycopene in tomatoes are much stronger when the tomatoes are cooked, such as in marinara sauce or tomato soup.
Summer Peach Crisp with Nuts, Dried Fruit and Ginger
- At August 20, 2013
- By Katherine
- In Recipes
- 0
- Photo by Alison Eaves
Today is the 11th “Katherine’s Market Recipe,” all of which are designed to be delicious, easy, quick, family-friendly, nutritious (heart-healthy & diabetes-friendly), and to highlight produce found at our local Farmers Markets this week. At your Farmers Market, you’ll find produce picked at peak ripeness, which means maximum flavor, texture and nutrition. You’re also helping save the environment when you buy at your Farmers Market. Here’s how…
For my “Autumn Apple Crisp with Nuts, Dried Fruits, and Ginger,” I recommend you buy the apples or pears at Georgetown’s Rose Park Farmers Market (your last chance this year) on Wednesday, or Dupont Circle’s Fresh Farm Market (open year-round) on Sunday.
Katherine’s Summer Peach Crisp with Nuts, Dried Fruit & Ginger
By Katherine Tallmadge, M.A., R.D.
This will become a favorite holiday dessert – delicious, but quick and simple, too. And, heart healthy – using predominantly whole grains and nut oil instead of butter – and filled with fruit and nuts.* This Apple Crisp is very versatile with its main ingredients. Use a crunchy, tart Fall Apple, an Anjou Pear, or a combination of both. Use any dried fruit, your favorite nut, and a nut oil for maximum flavor.
Serves 12
Filling:
½ Cup Pure Maple Syrup
½ Cup Raisins, Dried Cranberries, or a mix of both
2 Tablespoons Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Minced Candied or Crystalized Ginger, or less if you like it less strong
2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
3 pounds Seasonal, Ripe Peaches, peeled and thinly sliced
Topping:
1-1/2 Cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
½ Cup Chopped Walnuts, Pecans, Hazelnuts, any favorite Nut – or a mixture**
½ Cup Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Whole Wheat Flour*
½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/3 Cup Walnut Oil, any Nut Oil,** or Canola Oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare filling: In a large bowl, mix the maple syrup, dried fruit, lemon juice, ginger, and flour. Add the peaches and mix well. Pour into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Prepare Topping: Mix the oats, nuts, brown sugar, whole wheat flour, and cinnamon. Add the oil and mix until the topping is moist. Pour over the filling in the baking dish.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the apples are tender and the crumble is golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes until serving
300 calories per serving.
“Katherine’s Summer Peach Crisp with Nuts, Dried Fruits, and Ginger” is adapted from a recipe in “Eating Well” Magazine.
*A whole grain – whole oats and whole wheat flour – has three parts: bran, germ and endosperm. The bran and germ contain fiber, Vitamin E, B vitamins (thiamin, niacin, riboflavin and pantothenic acid) minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, sodium, selenium and iron), protein, essential oils, antioxidants and phytochemicals (plant substances that may protect health). The endosperm contains mostly starch with a little protein and very few nutrients. When a grain is refined, turning whole wheat flour into white flour or brown rice into white rice, only the nutrient-poor endosperm is left. The heart-healthy, cancer-fighting riches found in the bran and germ are lost. Learn more about whole grains…
**Nuts – Every time a new study comes out about nuts – any nut – it’s positive news. Nut eaters around the world have fewer heart attacks, and we know that most of the protective nutrients are in the oil of the nut. While you already know each nut has a different look and flavor, each nut also has its own unique nutritional characteristics. For instance, almonds are the highest in protein and Vitamin E, and the lowest in artery-clogging saturated fat. Walnuts are the only nut with omega-3-fatty acids. Pecans have the highest antioxidant content. Pistachios contain lutein, a compound which may significantly improve eye health. ALL nuts are good for you. My favorite: Italian Hazelnuts!
Simple, Sumptuous, Seasonal Summer Recipes
- At August 20, 2013
- By Katherine
- In News, Recipes
- 0
Katherine presenting: "Nutrition for Heart & Brain Health" at the Four Seasons Spa featuring recipes from "Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes," uniquely prepared by Four Seasons' Hotel Executive Chef, Douglas Anderson, like Melon Chunks with Crumbled Feta and Fresh Mint, Cool Cucumber Soup, Seared Ahi Tuna with Wasabi Vinaigrette (photo by Viggy Parr)
Summer is a season filled with beauty!
Beautiful, sunny weather, beautiful afternoons spent with family and friends, and, of course, beautiful fresh produce straight from the garden. Summer is bursting with an abundance of delicious ingredients like juicy peaches, sweet melons, cool cucumbers and heirloom tomatoes. Take advantage of summer’s bounty with these quick and easy recipes… These recipes – and so many more – are found in my new Diet Simple companion cookbook:
Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook in Season!
ONLY $4.95! NEW PRICE!
Available soon as an e-book and paperback: $14.99
Melon Chunks with Crumbled Feta and Fresh Mint
Fresh Summer Salsa with Watermelon
Silvestro’s “Italian” Gazpacho
Kjerstin’s Chicken Salad with Sweet Melon, Peaches, and Toasted Walnuts
Salad of Fingerling Potatoes, Green and Yellow Beans with a Lemony-Garlic-Herb Dressing
Photo by Alison Eaves
Zucchini Ribbons with Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette
Fresh Kale and Summer Peach Salad with Toasted Almonds and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Photo by Alison Eaves
Summer Peach Crisp with Nuts, Dried Fruit and Ginger
Dark Chocolate Dipped Seasonal Fruit & Fruit Popsicles
These recipes and so many more can be found in Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 Reasons to Cook in Season!
ONLY $4.95 (Available soon as an e-book and paperback for $14.95)
Nutrition for Heart, Brain and Sexual Health
- At July 25, 2013
- By Katherine
- In News, Recipes
- 0
"Nutrition for Brain, Heart & Sexual Health" at the Four Seasons (Photo by Four Seasons)
Most people know that nutrition is crucial for heart health, even if the specifics are sometimes a bit confusing. But very few people realize just how important nutrition is for brain and sexual health, too, and that the three intersect quite nicely.
My clients regularly ask me: Do certain foods affect my brain? Even my sexual health? My answer: Yes! What you eat profoundly affects the brain, memory, and mental function. And – lucky for us – scientific research confirms brain, heart and sexual health benefit from similar foods, nutrients and behaviors. See by article: Brain Health Do’s & Don’ts and get the full scoop…
At my Four Seasons talk, the Four Seasons Hotel Executive Chef Douglas Anderson prepared three of my recipes beautifully and uniquely: My “Seared Ahi Tuna with Wasabi Vinaigrette” from Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspiration…
"Seared Ahi Tuna with Wasabi Vinaigrette" from Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations
my “Cool Cucumber Soup with Yogurt & Cilantro” from Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook in Season”…
"Cool Cucumber Soup with Yogurt & Cilantro" from Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook in Season
and my “Melon Chunks with Crumbled Feta and Fresh Mint” (see recipe below) from Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook In Season”
A great time was had by all and everyone chose a plan of action to incorporate a new healthy habit into their lives. Now that’s transforming lives!
"Melon Chunks with Feta and Mint" from Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook in Season
Melon Chunks with Crumbled Feta and Fresh Mint
This is an unusual combination of flavors and textures, and a delight on the palate. Use any kind of melon that happens to be in season.
Serves 8
2 pounds melon chunks (about 1 small cantaloupe or seedless watermelon)
½ pound Feta Cheese or other similar cheese
8 small mint leaves, Chiffonade (Basil will also work)
Combine ingredients in a large bowl and serve!
Farmers Market Recipe: Fresh Kale & Summer Peach Salad with Toasted Almonds & Balsamic Vinaigrette
- At July 19, 2013
- By Katherine
- In News, Recipes
- 0
Fresh Kale and Summer Peach Salad with Toasted Almonds and Balsamic Vinaigrette
“I don’t normally like kale, but this salad is delicious!” is a comment I hear over and over when I serve this dish. Last year around this time, I was volunteering at an Anacostia Farmers Market. At the time, there was only one produce farmer at the market and all he had the day I was coming was peaches, kale and potatoes! My job at the Farmers Markets is to inspire people to buy the locally grown produce available that day, but what the heck was I going to do with kale, peaches and potatoes? I was stumped! Then I leafed through my own book, Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations, and got inspired by one of Chef Carla Hall’s contributions to my book, her “Hearty Greens Salad with Warm Balsamic Cherry Vinaigrette.” Aha! I can do a variation on the theme, I thought, use peaches, add some crunch with toasted almonds and VOILA! It was a HUGE HIT at the Anacostia Farmers Market. So I’ve included this wonderful recipe in my new book: Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes (Bookbaby 2013)
Today is the 5th “Katherine’s Market Recipe” of 2013, all of which are designed to be delicious, easy, quick, famiy-friendly, nutritious (heart-healthy & diabetes-friendly), and to highlight produce found at our local farmers markets this week. At your farmers market, you’ll find produce picked at peak ripeness, which means maximum flavor, texture, and nutrition. You’re also helping save the environment when you buy at your farmers market. Here’s how…
Serves 6
Vinaigrette:
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Salad Ingredients:
6 Handfuls of fresh Kale (or other greens), washed, tough stems removed, and torn into bite-sized pieces
2 Cups Fresh Sliced Summer Peaches and/or any seasonal Berries
2 Ounces toasted slivered Almonds
½ Sweet Onion, peeled and sliced
In a large bowl, add the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk together. Add the kale, onion, almonds, and peaches and toss together. Serve immediately.
Swedish Midsummer: Feast the Night Away!
Midsummer: This Weekend! Photo by Embassy of Sweden
For weeks on end, the sun never sets during Sweden’s summertime. It’s daylight round-the-clock. Every year, during one of those “white nights,” the Friday nearest the 24th of June, all of Scandinavia turns out to feast until morning. After long winter months of what seems like never-ending darkness, sun-starved Swedes join the rest of Scandinavia in celebrating the summer solstice – the year’s longest day.
Swedes call the celebration Midsummer Eve
It is more than just a holiday, however. Midsummer Eve, often lasting through Saturday – and sometimes the whole weekend – is the national excuse for the biggest parties of the year. The revelry is non-stop.
Beginning Friday morning, families gather to set the scene. Every spare piece of furniture is moved outdoors, setting up a festival atmosphere. Large wooden crosses are turned into maypoles decorated with flowers, ribbons and leafy branches.
The maypoles are raised, and hours of dancing, singing and community wide camaraderie get under way. By late afternoon the revelry has served its purpose. Gnawing hunger has prepared the celebrants for the main event: the feast, Sweden’s famed smorgasbord.
Smorgasbord is a Swedish invention and is literally a table of open-faced sandwiches. Though its origin was a simple array of hors d’oeuvres, smorgasbords today are exhaustive buffet-style spreads, the Swedish version being the best known.
There are appetizers, salads, main courses and desserts. The dishes signal summer’s first harvests: freshly clipped dill, tender root vegetables, fish and other seafoods, and strawberries grown in the country.
There are cured ingredients, as well. Pink rolls of cured salmon are wrapped around dill sprigs, with yellow mustard sauces and peppercorns alongside. There is marinated herring and coarse salt, as well as dill and other pickles. Dairy products also are important, including eggs, cheese and cream.
The traditional drink is aquavit, Swedish vodka spiced with anise and caraway. It is served in tiny schnapps glasses. The Midsummer toast, which loses something in translation, usually amounts to a unanimous gulp followed by a chant of “rah, rah, rah, rah.”
Actually, preparation of Midsummer food usually begins a couple of days before. Local fishermen stack their just-caught salmon in rickety wheelbarrows, roll them into town and go door to door displaying their wares for inspection by anxious cooks.
The fish are carefully examined in solemn transaction, the cook – usually my Grandmother – signaling the final selection with an abrupt, “This will do!” The fisherman nods, satisfied, and carries the fish to the kitchen where it lands on the table with a thud. The smell of the sea enters the house with the day’s catch. The best knife has been sharpened for this moment: the start of Midsummer Eve cooking.
Aquavit and Marcus Samuelsson’s Gravlax Club Sandwich
Gravlax and Mustard Sauce
Katherine’s Market Recipe: Salad of New Potatoes & Asparagus with Lemony-Garlic-Herb Mayonnaise Topped with Poached Salmon
- At May 27, 2013
- By Katherine
- In News, Recipes
- 0
Salad of New Potatoes & Asparagus in a Lemony Garlic-Herb Mayonnaise topped with Poached Salmon (photo by Alison Eaves)
FREE: Download and print my entire new spring recipe chapter from my upcoming cookbook: “Diet Simple Farm-to-Table Recipes,” try a recipe, post its picture and your impressions on my Facebook page, and I’ll enter you in my contest for free Personalized Nutrition services. This wonderful recipe, along with many others, is included!
Today is the 4th “Katherine’s Market Recipe” of 2013, all of which are designed to be delicious, easy, quick, famiy-friendly, nutritious (heart-healthy & diabetes-friendly), and to highlight produce found at our local farmers markets this week. At your farmers market, you’ll find produce picked at peak ripeness, which means maximum flavor, texture, and nutrition. You’re also helping save the environment when you buy at your farmers market. Here’s how…
For my “Salad of ‘New’ Potatoes & Asparagus with Lemony-Garlic-Herb Mayonnaise,” I recommend you buy the asparagus, green onions, tomatoes and tiny potatoes at Wednesday’s Rose Park Farmers Market, Saturday’s Glover Park-Burleith Farmer’s Market, Sunday’s Dupont Circle’s Fresh Farm Market – OR on Sunday, come visit me demonstrating this incredible recipe at the new Downtown College Park Farmers Market.
Salad of “New” Potatoes and Asparagus with Lemony-Garlic-Herb Mayonnaise Topped with Poached Salmon
by Katherine Tallmadge, M.A., R.D.
This “salad”features the best of spring-time gifts: asparagus, green onions, thin-skinned tiny new potatoes and salmon. It can be served warm as a great holiday side dish, or enjoyed cold. The mayonnaise dressing brings out the flavor of any vegetable, especially if allowed to soak into still-warm, just cooked asparagus, haricots verts (the tender French green bean), delicate, small, thin-skinned “new” potatoes, or broccoli. The salmon can be poached, grilled, smoked or cured: your choice!
Serves 6 to 8
Mayonnaise Dressing:
1/4 Cup Mayonnaise, preferably made with Canola or Olive Oil
Grated Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon
2 Garlic cloves (or more, to taste), mashed
1 Tbsp (or more, to taste) Tarragon or other fresh herb such as Dill
Salt and Pepper, if desired (none needed)
Vegetables:
1 quart Asparagus, tough end removed, and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pint small New Potatoes with skin, cleaned but not peeled (optional)
2 Red Bell Peppers, roasted (if desired) and chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 Bunch (about 4 – 5) Green Onions, chopped
Salmon:
2 pounds of salmon fillet
1 Bunch Fresh Dill
1 teaspoon Salt
Place the salmon in a frying pan large enough to hold it laid out flat. Pour cold water over salmon until it is covered. Add salt and dill to the pan. Place lid on the pan. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let sit about ten minutes in the hot water. Remove the fish from the water when the flesh is opaque when checked with a fork. Let cool, if desired.
Prepare the dressing in a bowl large enough to fit the salad ingredients by mixing the mayonnaise, the lemon, garlic and fresh herb of your choice. Place in refrigerator to keep chilled.
In a frying pan large enough to fit the asparagus end to end, steam or boil the asparagus slightly (in a small amount of water) for about 3 minutes, until they are al dente (firm, but not hard, with resistance to the bite). Drain and immediately toss in ice water to stop the cooking process. Place in the bowl of cold mayonnaise dressing. Toss to coat with mayonnaise dressing. Put the bowl back into the refrigerator to halt the cooking process.
Slice the small potatoes in half or quarters, depending on their size. Boil the potatoes for about 5 or 10 minutes, until tender when pierced by a fork. Drain and place in the bowl with the mayonnaise and asparagus. Toss to coat with the mayonnaise dressing. Place in the refrigerator.
Roast the red bell peppers if desired, chop, and add to the mix. Chop the white part of the green onions, cut the cherry tomatoes in half, and place in bowl with the other vegetables; toss.
Serve the salad with about 4 ounces of salmon on top of each serving.
FREE: Diet Simple Farm-to-Table Spring Cookbook
Enjoying Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries at the Farmers Market
Celebrate Your Transformation to a Healthier Lifestyle
I’m enthusiastically and gratefully giving you my most cherished spring recipes from my new upcoming Farm-to-Table cookbook FREE, because I appreciate you – my clients and friends – so much. I feel privileged to be part of your life – as your personal guide in your life and health transformation.
Creating a “Diet Simple” Support Community on Facebook
I really enjoy hearing from you, getting regular updates about your health, your family, and your life. So, I’m going to take it to the next level and form an online “Diet Simple” community on Facebook. It will be our online space to support each other, share our cooking adventures, and celebrate our ongoing transitions to a healthier lifestyle and body weight. To encourage you to get in the habit of Facebooking with me, I’m running a contest with prizes I think you’ll love! Follow the instructions below…
Cover design by Eagle Publishing and Viggy Parr
Click my book (above), and you’ll find my book to download…
Diet Simple Contest
1. Download and/or print my new Diet Simple Farm-to-Table Spring recipes,
2. Try one of the recipes – or more – and share a picture and your impressions on my “Diet Simple by Katherine Tallmadge” Facebook page,
3. Everyone who posts a comment or picture will be entered into the contest,
4. Refer a friend to do the same, they’ll be entered, and you’ll be entered into the drawing twice.
The Winner: Chooses From the Following Prizes
1. A guided, personal shopping trip to the Farmers Market,
2. Private chef-for-a-night (I cook dinner at your home while you provide the ingredients),
3. A 5-session nutrition counseling program,
4. A talk at your (local Washington, DC) workplace or conference, or
5. Come up with your own idea, and I’ll consider it!
Katherine’s Market Recipe: Strawberry & Rhubarb Soup
- At May 17, 2013
- By Katherine
- In News, Recipes
- 2
Soupe aux Fraises et Rhubarbe (photo by Alison Eaves)
FREE: Download and print my entire new spring recipe chapter from my upcoming cookbook: “Diet Simple Farm-to-Table Recipes,” try a recipe, post its picture and join the discussion on my Facebook page, then I’ll enter you in my contest to win free Personalized Nutrition services. This wonderful recipe, along with many others, is included!
Today is the 3rd “Katherine’s Market Recipe” of 2013, all of which are designed to be delicious, easy, quick, famiy-friendly, nutritious (heart-healthy & diabetes-friendly), and to highlight produce found at our local farmers markets this week. At your farmers market, you’ll find produce picked at peak ripeness, which means maximum flavor, texture, and nutrition. You’re also helping save the environment when you buy at your farmers market. Here’s how…
For my “Soupe aux Fraises et Rhubarbe,” I recommend you buy the strawberries and rhubarb at Rose Park Farmers Market on Wednesday afternoons, the Glover Park-Burleith Farmers Market Saturday, or the Dupont Circle’s Fresh Farm Market on Sunday.
Soupe aux Fraises et Rhubarbe
(Strawberry and Rhubarb Soup)
by Katherine Tallmadge, M.A., R.D.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 Tablespoons Canola Oil
3 stalks Rhubarb, pealed and cut into 1.4 inch chunks
2 cups hulled and sliced fresh Strawberries
4 ounces fresh Orange Juice
1/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Nonfat or Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt
4 fresh Mint Leaves
Procedure:
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Use a pan large enough to hold all of the ingredients. Add the rhubarb and saute about a minute. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for about 7 minutes, or until the rhubarb is tender. Remove from the heat and let cool. Add the strawberries, orange juice, sugar and 1/2 cup of the yogurt and blend with an immersible hand blender (I like the Cuisinart Smart Stick). Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or until it is well chilled.
Presentation:
Pour the soup into four small chilled bowls. Place a 1 Tablespoon dollop of yogurt and a fresh mint leaf on each bowl.
Did you know that there are 200 seeds on each strawberry?
Strawberries are members of the Rose family and there are over 600 different varieties. Choose freshly picked, ripe berries, as they will be the tastiest and will have the most nutrients. “Look for berries fully formed, bright red, without bruising or soft spots and with fresh-looking green caps,” says Janie Hibler in “The Berry Bible.”
Strawberries are considered a “superfood.” They have one of the highest antioxidant and nutrient contents of all foods, yet they are low in calories, so you can eat them in unlimited quantities. In fact, for your health, the more the better! “A serving of eight strawberries contains more vitamin C than an orange. Strawberries are also rich in folate, potassium, and fiber. They’re especially high in cancer- and heart-disease-fighting phytonutrients (beneficial plant compounds) called flavonoids, anthocyanins, ellagic acid, quercetin, catechin, and kaempferol.
Soupe aux Fraises et Rhubarbeis adapted from “The French Culinary Institute’s Salute to Healthy Cooking” (Rodale Press, 1998), one of my favorite cookbooks, which I highly recommend!
Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries – Katherine Demonstrates at Farmer’s Market Sunday
- At May 09, 2013
- By Katherine
- In News, Recipes
- 1
Join me this Sunday 11 am to 2 pm at the new College Park Farmers Market! I’ll be demonstrating dark-chocolate-dipped strawberries using the season’s first strawberries. I just bought several quarts at my local Rose Park Farmers Market, and they are sweet and tender – just as they should be when they’re picked locally at peak ripeness.
Today is the 2nd “Katherine’s Market Recipe” of 2013, all of which are designed to be delicious, easy, quick, famiy-friendly, nutritious (heart-healthy & diabetes-friendly), and to highlight produce found at our local farmers markets this week. At your farmers market, you’ll find produce picked at peak ripeness, which means maximum flavor, texture, and nutrition. You’re also helping save the environment when you buy at your farmers market. Here’s how…
For my “Dark-Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries,” I recommend you buy the strawberries at Rose Park Farmers Market, Dupont Circle’s Fresh Farm Market on Sunday or come visit me demonstrating this incredible recipe on Sunday at the new College Park Farmers Market.
Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
by Katherine Tallmadge, M.A., R.D.
Serves 6 – 8
Ingredients:
For the Fondue:
½ cup Skim Milk
8 ounces Semisweet Chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
To Serve:
2 quarts Whole Strawberries (or other seasonal fruit)
Long toothpicks or Kebab Sticks
Finely Chopped Nuts (optional)
Course Ground Coffee (optional)
Granola (optional)
Heat the milk in a double boiler. When the milk begins to bubble around the edges, turn off the heat, and whisk in the dark chocolate chips. When melted, mix in the vanilla. Be careful not to burn the chocolate! Keep it on very low heat or in a double boiler. Pour into a fondue pot, keep on low, stirring occasionally. Spear each strawberry or piece of fruit with a long toothpick or kebab stick, and dip into the chocolate. If desired, roll in a bowl of chopped nuts, granola – or for the adults: course ground coffee for “mocha” dipped strawberries. To harden the chocolate, place each chocolate-dipped strawberry separately on parchment paper and let cool.
About 160 calories per serving, which is 1/8 of the recipe. Tthe strawberries are only 2 to 6 calories each, depending on their size.
Did you know that there are 200 seeds on each strawberry?
Strawberries are members of the Rose family and there are over 600 different varieties. Choose freshly picked, ripe berries, as they will be the tastiest and will have the most nutrients. “Look for berries fully formed, bright red, without bruising or soft spots and with fresh-looking green caps,” says Janie Hibler in “The Berry Bible.”
Strawberries are considered a “superfood.” They have one of the highest antioxidant and nutrient contents of all foods, yet they are low in calories, so you can eat them in unlimited quantities. In fact, for your health, the more the better! “A serving of eight strawberries contains more vitamin C than an orange. Strawberries are also rich in folate, potassium, and fiber. They’re especially high in cancer- and heart-disease-fighting phytonutrients (beneficial plant compounds) called flavonoids, anthocyanins, ellagic acid, quercetin, catechin, and kaempferol.
Is it true that a chocolate a day will keep the doctor away?
The cacao bean, grown mainly in Latin America, Africa and Asia, is loaded with beneficial compounds. In fact, its early uses, dating back 3,000 years were mainly medicinal. It has been highly prized for centuries, which is reflected in its scientific name, Theobroma cacao, meaning “Food of the Gods.”
Cocoa, if high in flavanols, the beneficial plant compounds scientists believe impart most of cocoa’s benefits, may help maintain a healthy vascular system, relax blood vessels, reduce blood clotting – an aspirin-like affect –reduce oxidative damage, inflammation, and improve blood flow. All of which reduces heart disease risk.
If you’re eating chocolate for health benefits, you’ll need to be very discriminating in your selections. You’ll get more flavanols, and therefore health benefits, with less processing. The first choice is cocoa, which isn’t Dutch processed – as when cocoa is “Dutch processed with alkali” the flavanols are reduced. Look for chocolate which has the highest percentage of cocoa as possible and to save calories, look for chocolate with lower fat and sugar levels. In general, cocoa is your best first choice. Second choice is a semisweet or bittersweet chocolate with a high cocoa percentage. Some chocolates go as high as 85% cocoa, but legally can be as low as 35%. I recommend no more than an ounce a day, which may be about 110 – 150 calories, depending on the chocolate. Any more than that and you’re probably going to take in too many calories for weight control.
The numbers:
Type of Chocolate Mg Flavonols Calories
1.3 oz Dark Chocolate Bars, Average*: 82 mg 187
1.3 oz Milk Chocolate Bars, Average*: 42 mg 198
1 TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, Average*: 75 mg 12
- *USDA’s Nutrient Data Laboratory
