August is National Peach Month

August is National peach month!

Peaches are a delightful fruit and are plentiful this time of year. If you are like me, you may have an adverse reaction to the fuzzy skin, but don't let that keep you from eating this nutrient rich and flavorful fruit. Eating peaches is one of the joys of summer.

It is believed that peaches were first brought to America by Spanish Missionaries who settled in California, which boast the largest peach crops in the nation. Other peach producing states include Michigan, Colorado, South Carolina, New Jersey, Washington, Georgia, which is known as the "peach state" and our very own Pennsylvania. Today the United States produces up to 25% of the worlds peaches. The peach is now the third most popular fruit eaten in the USA!

Nutrition: peaches are rich in vitamin C supplying 6 mg per peach, 193 mg of potassium, 5 mg calcium, 2g of fiber and only 40 Kcal per medium peach.

Availability: fresh peaches are available May through October, with August being the most plentiful month in the Northeastern states.

Selection: to select the best peaches smell them. If they smell sweet, this is an indication they have a sweet taste as well. Also look for peaches with a yellow or cream colored skin. Some varieties will also have a red/orange skin tone. Eat ripened peaches right away. If peaches have not reached ripeness place them in a brown paper bag for 2-3 days on your kitchen counter.

Storage: peaches at peak flavor are best eaten at room temperature. You may store peaches in your refrigerator for 3-5 days. Remove peach from refrigerator and place on counter for a minimum of one hour to reach room temperature and peak flavor.

Try this lovely Grilled Peach Salsa for a great topper to pork or chicken dishes.

Grilled Peach Salsa

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pound ripe peaches, halved and pitted
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion
1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 lime, zested and juice
1/4 to1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2-3 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint

Directions:

1. Brush the cut sides of the peaches with oil
2. Grill them over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until they just begin to brown
3. Grill them with the lid down so that the peaches get cooked through
4. Chop them into 1/4 inch pieces and toss with the other ingredients

Enjoy over grilled chicken, pork or fish.

Nutritional information: serving size about 3/4 cup. 76 Kcal, 2 g fat, 16 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 2 g fiber, 2 mg sodium and 10 mg cholesterol.

Recipe courtesty of the Keiser Permanente website.

a moment of nostalgia

I have a drawer in my kitchen that is filled with recipes that I am collecting- Magazine cut-outs, recipe cards, scraps of paper with recipes I have scribbled down while waiting in the doctor's office or car repair waiting lounge. The drawer is a mess, but I love it. I love it because it reminds me of my mother and my childhood.

When I was a child my mother made a ceramic bowl that looked like a head of cabbage. It sat on our kitchen table and inside the bowl were recipes that she had ripped out of magazines or recipes she had scribbles on scraps of paper. I guess we just can't help becoming our parents and in this instance it's quite ok with me.


My mother was a fabulous cook. She didn't learn it from her mother, lord only knows my grandmother was a terrible cook and quite a sin for an Italian woman in my opinion (and everyone else Italian!) But by some stroke of luck, or Italian genetics, my mom and her sister were wonders in the kitchen. My sister and I are said to be good cooks as well, but our mother didn't really teach us either. She just hated when we got in her way in the kitchen. She preferred working alone, giving us the chores of setting the table and doing the dishes. Perhaps we learned from sheer olfactory osmosis and reading all of her recipes. Or maybe it just runs in our genes!


What my mother did teach me was the gift of hospitality. Not a week past in our home that we did not share a meal with someone. Never do I remember anyone turning down an invitation to dinner at our house. I loved when company came-there was the certainty of awesome food, lively conversation and a room full of love with family and friends snuggly tucked around our dinning room table. My cousin Louie still boasts of my mother's apple pie and mashed potatoes. "The best apple pie I ever had", my cousin expressed to me not too long ago. and "How did she get those potatoes so lump free?" Practice and love, I believe are the answers to those questions.


So I proudly carry the tradition into the next generation- I have no plans of cleaning out that drawer in my kitchen. It keeps me connected to a mother I lost all too soon in my life. I am thankful to have "inherited the gift of creating good food and for the joy of hospitality". In this fast paced, throw away society that we live in, I would like to challenge you this week to find an old family recipe and "whip it up" this week. Invite your family or friends over and squeeze around your dinning room or picnic table and have a nostalgic experience. It will do your heart good.


(Note- photo taken in 1965 when I was living in California. My mom is on the left sitting beside me. You can only see her hair! My dad and sister sit with us same side of table. My mom's sister, nieces and brother-in-law sit across from us and a cousin sits at the end of the table. Those were great times in our family history.)


On another note, if you haven't ventured out yet to see the movie Julie/Julia-go! If you enjoy reading my blog than you will love the movie. It will bless your soul on many levels.

http://www.julieandjulia.com/

Happy Faces

I love this time of year when the sunflowers are standing tall and proud in the garden. Their bright sunny faces are sure to put a smile on any face.

Sunflowers serve several purposes. You can cut the flowers to make a beautiful floral bouquet for your home, leave them in the field to bring joy to a on-lookers, leave them on the stems to feed the birds or harvest the seeds for eating yourself.

The tiny seeds serve as a good source of nutrients for the American diet. Just a quarter of a cup of sunflowers seeds will supply you with 205Kcal, 4 g of fiber, 8 g of protein, 18 mg of vitamin E, 127 mg of magnesium, 21 mg of selenium and 81 mg of folate.

If you are growing sunflowers in your yard this year and have never harvested the seeds before, heres a simply way to do it:

1. Allow the sunflower to mature on the vine. To determine maturity the back of the flower head with be brown and dry.By this time most of the flower petals will have fallen off. The seeds will appear plump and the shell will be striped black and white.

2.Before the seeds loosen and dry remove the flower from the stem, cutting the stalk about 12 inches long.

3. With your hand, gently rub the seeds out of the flower.

4. To prepare the seeds, cover them in salt water, making a solution of two quarts of water and 1/4 cup to 1/2 cups of salt. Place seeds in the water and place on stove. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for two hours. Or if you prefer, you may soak the seeds in salt water solution over night, omitting the heating, boiling, simmering process.

5. After you have soaked the seeds in the salt bath they are ready for roasting. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place seeds in a shallow roasting pan, making sure the seeds are spread over pan in a single layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring occassionally. Seeds are ready when they are golden brown.

6.Remove from oven and add 1 teaspoon of melted butter or margarine for every 1 cup of seeds roasted.

7.Cool on an absorbant towel.

8. Store seeds in an air tight container

Zucchinis, Zucchinis, Zucchinis!

It's that time of year when you have more zucchini then you may know what to do with. With all of the rain we have been receiving this summer, the zucchini crop has been plentiful.

Here are some fun facts about zucchini that you may not have know before:

1. You can eat the flowers of the zucchini plant. They are delicious floured and stuffed with ricotta cheese.

2. A zucchini only has 25 kcals. With such a high water content it makes a great low calorie food choice.

3. The nutrients found in zucchinis help to prevent cancer and heart disease.

4. A zucchini has more potassium than a banana

5.The word "zucchini" comes from the Italian word "zucca" which means squash.

6. Bigger is not better. Pick zucchini when they are small to medium in size, around 8 inches in length. The flavor and texture are at their best at this size.

7. The worlds largest zucchini on record measured 69 1/2 inches in length and weighed 65 pounds. It was grown by Bernard Lavery, a resident of the UK.

8. Obetz Ohio actually holds a 3 day zucchini festival each year and features everything zucchini! Check out their website for more information. http://www.obetzzucchini.com/

Now if your kitchen counter is overrun with fresh squash it is time to get cooking! Here is a recipe you may enjoy.

Zucchini Custard Bake

4 Tablespoons of butter, melted

2 pounds of zucchini, cut into small pieces

3 eggs

1/2 cup undiluted evaporated milk or light cream

2 Tablespoons of fine bread crumbs

1/2 cup diced onion

t teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 dash of hot pepper sauce

1 teaspoon of salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2.In a large skillet with a tight fitting lid, melt butter and add zucchini. Place lid on top of the pan and cook for for about 5-7 minutes over low to medium heat.

3. Remove pan from heat and allow squash to cool a few minutes to keep the eggs from cooking to fast when added to the pan.

4. Beat eggs with milk. Add bread crumbs, and remaining ingredients minus all but 2 Tablespoons of the parmesan cheese. Mix well.

5. Add cooled zucchini to the seasoning mixture.

6. In a 1/2 quart buttered baking dish, pour the zucchini mixture. Sprinkle the top of casserole with the remaining parmesan cheese.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes uncovered.

You can't Beet 'um!

Red beets were a vegetable of my childhood. I remember my mother eating themwhen I was a young girl. She was always anemic and she believed that they were high in iron. She seemed to think there was a correlation between the redness of the beet and healthy blood. She is not the only person who erroneously believes that. While not a good source of iron, red beets are extremely healthy for you. Two Red beets measuring 2 inches in diameter, are an excellent source of potassium (305 mg), 2 g of fiber, 80 ug of folate and are only 44 kcal per serving.

Beet greens are great for you as well! Beet greens can be prepared the same as you would cook spinach. Just a half of a cup of beet greens will provide you with 367 (RE)vitamin A, 82 mg calcium, 654 mg potassium, and only 19 Kcal.

So why not buy some fresh red beets this summer and give them a try, leaves and all.

Orange Baked Red Beets

Ingredients:

8 to 10 small beets

grated rind of 1/2 an orange

juice of 1 orange, unstrained

1 scant teaspoon salt

2 Tbsp butter

1/3 hot water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pare raw beets ans slice very thin slices into a greased baking dish. Stir remaining ingredients together until mixted well and pour over beets. Cover tightly and bake one hour or until beets are tender. Serve hot from baking dish with your main meal.

Serves 6

Note to the cook- this method preserves all the minerals and vitamins of the delicious beet.

It's hard to be green!

There are green beans growing by leaps and bounds in my community garden. It is a great problem to have. They are a wonderful vegetables in many ways-low in calories, rich in nutrients and everyone in the family likes them! Just 1/2 cup of Green beans will give you 22 calories, 2 grams of fiber, 185 g of potasium, 41 re (retinol equivalent) and 21 ug of folate.

Green beans are also very versitile. Some ingredients that compliment them well are garlic, tarragon, marjoram, thyme, dill, orange, lemon, olive oil, tomatoes and nuts.

Tired of green bean casserole? Why not give this recipe a try. Enjoy!

Oriental Green Beans

1 pound fresh green beans, cleaned, ends snipped off and string removed
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons canola oil
¼ cup soy sauce, preferably low sodium style
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Clean the green beans by removing ends and string.
2. Place green beans in skillet with a small of amount of water and steam for about 5-8 minutes just until tender
3. Drain green beans. In skillet add oil, green beans and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add soy sauce and sesame seeds and heat through. Serve

Summer time is fish eating time!

Summer time seems to be the time of year when I tend to eat more fish. Perhaps it's because of our travels to the sea. Whatever the reason, eating fish is a good thing. Fish is nutritionaly a wonderful food source. High in protein and omega 3's and low in fat and calories, fish is a perfect food to include regularly in your diet.

When selecting fish be aware that some varieties can be high in mercury. Large consumption of fish which are high in mercury can be undesirable to our own health, particularly if you are pregnant or wanting to become pregnant. Excessive amounts of mercury can cause brain and kidney damage, particularly in unborn babies and children under the age of 6, since small amounts of mercury can damage developing nervous systems.

Not all fish have a high build up of mercury, it depends on what the fish eats, their size and age. The fish most at risk for containing high levels of mercury include shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. Their levels tend to be higher because they tend to live longer than other fish.. Your best choice of fish lowest in mercury include: shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. A diet including up to 12 ounces a week of fish is acceptable. The FDA has stated that the benefits of eating fish far out way the risks. So include fish weekly to your diet.

For more information on fish and mercury levels visit the following websites:

www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish

http://www.maine.gov/DHHS/eohp/fish/hgposter.htm

Try this recipe:

Tuna Quesadillas

Ingredients:

1 can drained tuna fish, packed in water

1 Tablespoon mayonnaise, light

4 flour tortillas

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, lowfat


Instructions:

1. Mix tuna with mayonnaise.

Microwave:

1. Spoon filing onto half of each tortilla.

Top filling with cheese and fold tortilla in half.

Microwave on high for 60 seconds. Turn the plate halfway through cooking time.

Stove:

1. Divide mixture onto two tortillas. Top with cheese and the remaining two tortillas.

Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray.

Brown quesadillas on both sides.

2. Cut in half before serving.

Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Kcal 180 per serving

Fat 5 grams