Serving up veggies in all of our products!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Tips for Safer Leafy Greens

Have you ever picked up a head of lettuce at the grocery store, looked at it (and its small price tag) but then opted for the "triple-washed" bagged lettuce for triple the price?!

Here are the highlights from a great article we read, in the February issue of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, for making lettuce (and other leafy greens) as healthy as possible for all those lunchbox sandwiches you are making.

Loose, Unwashed Leafy Greens
  • When purchasing leafy greens (or any produce you plan to eat raw), use plastic bags to prevent contamination from other items like raw meat and poultry. Even if you don't have raw meat in your basket, contamination can still occur on the belt at checkout among other places.
  • Discard the outer leaves of heads of lettuce and cabbage.
  • Wash leafy greens thoroughly under cold running water just before eating them.
  • Alternatively, immerse loose greens in a large part of cold water.
  • Organic greens are no safer than the conventionally grown equivalent.
  • Antimicrobial washes have not been proven more effective than thorough washing at home.

Prewashed, "Ready to Eat" Bagged Greens
  • Just because its in a plastic bag doesn't necessarily mean its been washed thoroughly. Look for the phrases, "prewashed," "triple-washed," or "ready-to eat."
  • Because prewashed bagged greens are processed in facilities that are legally required to be very sanitary, some experts say that rewashing these prewashed greens at home only increases the risk of contamination. If you plan to rewash, just buy loose (unwashed) greens to start with. And you'll save money!
  • Don't store greens near or under raw meat in the fridge. Make it a habit to store meat on a lower shelf in the fridge to minimize the risk of contamination (by dripping juices) in general.

Safest Options:
  • Cooking heartier leafy greens like spinach and other dark greens kills bacteria. Just 15 seconds at 160 degrees F will do it.
  • To really opt out, grab a bag of frozen veggies. Frozen greens have been blanched (cooked briefly in boiling water) before freezing. No outbreaks of food poisoning have ever been linked to frozen greens.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Guavas: Enticingly Exotic, Surprisingly in Season!

Eating seasonally calls for a bit more imagination during the wintertime. Here’s a fun way to jazz up a dreary day with homemade guava juice!

Guavas grown in Florida and California are available into early/mid winter, so keep your eyes peeled for these little gems. If they’re ripe, you’re likely to catch a whiff of their heavenly scent before spotting them. Look for yellow-skinned guavas (as opposed to under-ripe green ones) that are very aromatic and give to gentle pressure. Depending on the variety, the flesh inside will be pale yellow or bright pink!

Guavas are a fantastic source of Vitamin C; one medium guava (3.5 oz) contains 3 times the recommended daily amount of Vitamin C! Guavas also contain a great deal of soluble fiber, which can help maintain low cholesterol.


Homemade Guava Juice

-2 medium or abut 5 small guavas, for a total weight of 6-8 oz, very ripe, yellow and aromatic

-Juice of 1/2 a lemon

-2-3 Tbl of sugar or agave syrup

Trim the ends off the guavas and cut them roughly into pieces. Put the guavas, sugar and lemon juice into a blender or food processor with 1 cup of water. This includes the seeds. Pulse the mixture to achieve very small pieces of guava but be sure NOT to blend it smooth because then it will be extremely viscous or gummy. Aim for peices the size of green peas NOT pulp.

Let mixture rest for 10 minutes to infuse.

Strain to remove guava seeds and pulp. Dilute the mixture to your taste, by adding 2-3 more cups of water. Mix well, chill in the fridge and enjoy!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Culinary Adventure for Kids, Part 1

You've asked for kid-friendly recipes with an ethnic flare.

We've accepted the challenge and offer an Iron Chef-like response. This entry is the first in a series of recipes that showcase: SWEET POTATOES. Each recipe in this series will have its own unique inspiration from a different region of the world.

We'll begin our quest with a North African twist on the sweet potato. Familiar flavors of cinnamon and raisins are accented with a hint of ginger. The sweet potato's creamy texture is contrasted by the crunch of toasted walnuts. This new combination of common ingredients may be the dish that inspires your kids to eat more adventurously. This dish is great over rice or couscous.


Moroccan-Style Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon, Raisins and Walnuts

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 medium onion, ends trimmed, peeled, halved lengthwise, then sliced thinly (1/8-1/4 in) from pole to pole
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 lb), peeled and cut into 1 in cubes
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup raisins
1 to 2 teaspoons honey or brown sugar
1/4 walnuts, chopped and toasted

Heat a large non-stick frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and cinnamon to the pan. 30 seconds later, add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and saute until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the sweet potatoes.

Saute for 5-7 minutes until the onions and sweet potatoes are golden brown in places. Add 3/4 cup water, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, cover and let simmer for 6-8 mins until the sweet potatoes are tender and all the liquid has been absorbed. If the sweet potatoes are done but some liquid remains, cook uncovered for a minute or two to reduce. Serve hot with toasted walnuts on top.

Enjoy! More twists on the sweet potato to come.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Customize your Cookies

Everyone likes a little something special, something made just the way they like it, and who doesn't love cookies?! Although most people think baking is a science not to be messed with, we'd like to encourage you to experiment with any old fashioned recipe to get the cookie results that suit your kids' (or your own) taste buds!

Here are a few tricks that can help you take an old cookie recipe in a new direction and bake experimentally with confidence!


For Flat, Crispy Cookies:

  • Use butter
  • Replace 1 egg with 3 Tbs milk
  • Use a high ratio of white to brown sugar (i.e., for a combined total of 1 1/2 cups sugar, use 1 1/4 cups white sugar and 1/4 brown sugar)

For Cakey, Puffy, Fluffy Cookies:

  • Use margerine/shortening
  • Use cake flour instead of all purpose. (If you don't have cake flour, use my grandma's substitution: measure 1 cup all purpose flour, then remove 1 Tablespoon and 1 teaspoon and replace with 1 Tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of corn starch. Viola, you have makeshift cake flour.)
  • Use baking powder in place of baking soda
  • Chill dough before scooping to minimize spreading

For Moist, Chewy Cookies:

  • Melt the butter
  • Replace 1 egg white with 2 Tbs milk
  • Use a high ratio of brown to white sugar (i.e., for a combined total of 1 1/2 cups sugar, use 1/4 cups white sugar and 1 1/4 brown sugar)
  • *Note: If you're baking any cookie recipe a day or two in advance, using a larger proportion of brown sugar to white will encourage moisture to stay in the cookie, making the cookies seem fresher longer (delaying the staling process).

So, next time you're making cookies with the kids, it'll be easy to satisfy whatever texture suits their day!




References: Alton Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB-KVveLp3k&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWoN0PtsIIQ