The Next Hot Food Trend

Spotlight on Sunchokes
Peas staff writer: Tina Downey

When in a great hippie market, I'm always on the lookout for anything new in the produce department. Should I find an item I've never cooked before, I'll buy it, research it at home, and (excitedly) learn how to cook it.

Delicious!
My favorite such (newly-discovered) vegetable is certainly the sunchoke. I had read marvelous things about sunchokes, namely about their deliciously delicate, artichoke-like flavor, but hadn't managed to find them before. "How exotic!" I thought as I bagged a few.

photo courtesy of Monterey County Weekly

Native to North America
Turns out, sunchokes are a type of sunflower native to North America. (Native Americans began cultivating them for ages!) Sunchokes look a lot like ginger root but have a mild, sweet, nutty flavor reminiscent of artichokes, hence their nickname, the "Jerusalem Artichoke." (No relation to actual artichokes.)

Excellent Source of Iron
Sunchokes are extremely rich in iron, containing almost as much as meat! Sunchokes provide three times as much iron as an equal amount of broccoli. The skin of a sunchoke is edible and contains a large fraction of their nutrients, so its best to leave their skin on and simply scrub them clean. Sunchokes lend themselves to a variety of cooking methods. Though they can be eaten raw or cooked, they really shine as a refreshing stand-in for potatoes (prepared any way you'd cook potatoes.)

Great Winter Vegetable
Sunchokes are available year round, but they're most available (and most delicious) from late Fall into the Spring! In fact, from what I read in an old gardening book, sunchokes are dead simple to farm; they have freakishly low nutrient requirements (from soil) and they produce compounds that naturally provide an anti-freezing effect, making them quite hearty throughout the winter.

Unfortunately Expensive
Being that sunchokes are not only native to the US but also ridiculously simple to grow, why on earth are they so darn expensive? ($5.99/lb at my local market!) Now there's an investment opportunity; "Root vegetable grows like a weed and commands $6/lb price tag!" Hopefully, as sunchokes make their way onto more trendy restaurant menus, the buzz will lead more farmers to grow them, and an increased availability will lead to affordability.

Until then, I'll buy sunchokes occasionally when I'm out to impress foodie friends with my best guess at the next hot (food) thing!

The King of Juices!

I was recently invited to a birthday party for my friend's child and I volunteered to bring the juice for the kids. However, after strolling the juice aisle in the market, I noticed that most bottles of juice were more water, corn syrup and flavorings than actual juice. Not what I had in mind!

Since many of the juice-like-beverages contain only 20% juice or less, I decided it would be much healthier (and surprisingly cheaper) to become my own mixologist and blend together a few different kinds of 100% fruit juice! This would also avoid any added sugar and/or flavorings.

But which juice(s) did I use? How different are apple juice and orange juice from each another anyway?

I looked into it and it turns out that juices vary greatly in their nutrient and calorie content. See chart below:

Comparison of Common Juices

OJ: The Super Star Juice
Containing the largest amounts of Vitamin C, Potassium and several other key vitamins and minerals (of which apple and grape juice had practically none!), orange juice was a great place to start. OJ also had the least number of calories per 6 fl oz serving (but for carrot juice) solidifying its place at the top of my list.

Below are a few simple ways I jazzed up OJ for my special Birthday drinks. The Orange & White Grape and the Strawberry OJ were both hits with the kids. Enjoy!


Orange & White Grape:
1 part white grape juice, 1 part orange juice and 1 part water. The white grape juice mellows the acidity of the orange juice dramatically. This blend is great if your little one has a tummy that's sensitive to acid. For an adult spin, try the same ratio but use sparkling water and consider adding a few torn basil leaves to the mix.

Strawberry OJ:
Starting with say 8 fl oz of OJ in a running blender, add a handful (5-7 pieces) of frozen strawberries. Blend until smooth, adding more OJ or water as needed. This will sweeten the OJ slightly, color it brilliantly and tame the acidity a bit. Also try this with raspberries, dark sweet cherries or a mixture of the three.

Pineapple OJ:
Starting with say 8 fl oz of OJ in a running blender, add a handful (7 pieces) of frozen pineapple chunks. (If you can't find frozen pineapple, buy a can of pineapple chucks (in light syrup), discard the liquid and freeze the chunks in a zip-top bag.) Blend until smooth, adding more OJ or water as needed. This combination makes a creamy treat that's particularly great for anyone with a dairy allergy.

Orange Carrot:
3 parts OJ to 2 parts carrot. Try easing into this juice blend starting with 4 parts OJ and 1 part carrot, then increase the proportion of carrot slowly over time. Not-from-concentrate or even fresh-squeezed OJ really helps brings out the natural sweetness in the carrot juice. For adults, know that carrot juice contains about half the calories of orange juice; all the more reason to up the amount of carrot over time.

Do it Yourself, Condiment Style!

Rustic Homemade Ketchup

With Veggie Wedgies hitting the shelves of more and more stores around the country, we thought a homemade ketchup reci-pea would be a great accompaniment. This unrefined condiment provides high levels of Vitamins A, C and E from tomatoes. So as not to overshadow these benefits, we used very modest amounts of sugar and salt. Store in the fridge for up to a week or freeze.

• 1 cup of a large onion (red or white, diced)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 lbs tomatoes, preferably Roma, chopped (about 5.5 cups), 10-12 count
• small pinch of ground cloves
• pinch of black pepper
• 2 TBL tomato paste
• 4 tsp brown sugar
• 3 TBL white wine vinegar

In a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the onion with the oil and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt until the onion becomes soft, translucent and is just starting to brown, 8-10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cloves, black pepper and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to high, cover and bring to a boil.

Once it's boiling, remove the lid and boil the mixture on medium-high for 12-15 minutes, stirring about once per minute to avoid scorching. The mixture should have lost a good bit of moisture and become sticky on the surface of the pan. If not, continue cooking.

When the liquid has reduced and is sticky, turn off the heat. Add the tomato paste, brown sugar and vinegar and stir thoroughly to combine.

Puree in a food processor or blender for at least 2 minutes and you have ketchup! Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to seven days or freeze.

Cure a Bruise with Foods!

Being the granola-lovin', tree-huggin' people that we are, here at Peas of Mind HQ, we love to take the holistic route whenever possible.

Next time your child gets a bruise on the playground, try one of these natural home remedies.

Edible Cures for Bruises - Nutrients in Food

• Vitamin C

• function: prevents bruising by supplying oxygen to injured cells and strengthening the walls of blood vessels.
• excellent food sources: citrus fruit, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe and Baked Broccoli Veggie Wedgies.
  

• Vitamin K
• function: important for blood clotting and healing.
  
• excellent food sources: cabbage, cauliflower, alfalfa sprouts, soybeans, spinach and other leafy greens.

• Vitamin E
• function: improves circulation, extends the life of blood cells, acts as an antioxidant
• excellent food sources: wheat germ, nuts, seeds, asparagus, spinach and other leafy greens.
  

External Cures for Bruises - Natural Rubs/Salves

• fresh parsley leaves
• crushed and applied directly, parsley may reduce discoloration in just a few days instead of a whole week.

• cayenne pepper ointment
• mix 1 part cayenne pepper with 5 parts melted Vaseline. Let cool, then apply once a day to aid in circulation and reducing inflammation.
  

• oil of oregano
• blend a bunch of fresh oregano with olive oil (just enough to blend). Apply this oil directly on bruised skin for general healing of a bruise once or twice a day.

Preventative Tips

• Eat lots of fresh, raw foods particularly fruits and leafy green vegetables. These foods are rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin K which help prevent bruising.

• If possible, ice an injury as soon as possible to reduce swelling and later bruising.

• If you choose to use a mild over-the-counter pain-reliever, choose one containing acetaminophen (in Tylenol). Aspirin and Ibuprofen encourage blood thinning which worsens bruises.
  

Sources

• Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch.

• The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition by Sheldon Margen, M.D. (UC Berkeley).