Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Sunshine Delicious Winter Recipes
I had reached the point of no return. Winter and I were through. I had enough, thank you very much, and was about to throw myself off the highest snow drift when my salvation arrived on the back of a UPS truck.Citrus from Florida. A case load. Sunshine in a box.
My mother sends one to each of us kids, every year, in the dead of winter. Shes been doing this since, well, since we all still lived under her roof. Thats the great thing about Moms – no matter your age, youll always be her child.
So, for the past week, Ive been in citrus heaven feasting on honeybells, temple oranges and ruby red grapefruit.
Honeybell oranges have a sweet honey flavor and a unique bell shape. Its mind boggling how much juice these possess.
Temple oranges are known as the Queen of the Crop. Peel one, let it melt in your mouth, and youll understand why she gets the honor of wearing the tiara.
Not a grapefruit lover? I bet youve never tried a plump Ruby Red. These seedless beauties are blushing red and dripping with sweetness.
Full of bioflavonoids and carotenoids which fight off cancer, fresh oranges and grapefruit also contain disease-fighting phytochemicals which help to combat heart disease. Whats not to love?
Here are two out-of-this-world, sunshine-delicious recipes I cant get enough of.
Purple Cabbage Saladfrom Elanas Pantry
½ head purple cabbage
1 orange, peeled and sliced into ½ inch segments
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
dash chili powder
Slice the cabbage as thinly as possible and place in a large bowl. Add the orange segments. Toss with olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice, then sprinkle with chili powder.
This gorgeous dish tastes even better the next day after the flavors have marinated and blended together.
Mixed Greens, Fennel & Orange Salad1 head leaf lettuce
1 head radicchio
2 heads Belgian endive, sliced
2 bulbs fennel, sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 oranges, peeled and segmented
1/4 C almond slivers
Dressing:
2 tsp fresh ginger root, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp orange zest
2 Tbsp orange juice
3 Tbsp ruby red grapefruit juice
1 tsp raw honey
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
The crisp, licorice-flavored fennel, sweet orange and onions balance the slightly bitter tastes of endive and radicchio. Drizzle on the dressing and, sweet mercy, the symphony of flavors!
Whats been your source of culinary sunshine this winter?
Friday, March 20, 2015
CrockPot Roasted Winter Root Vegetables
Day 340.
I learned back on February 5, that roasting vegetables in the crockpot was easy and fool-proof. Weve eaten a lot of roasted vegetables since, but I always kind of stick to my comfort zone and pick out the same ones at the grocery store. Not this time. I wanted some sort of traditional winter-y vegetable dish to share at our upcoming holiday dinner. So I googled winter vegetables.
Carrots.
Parsnips.
Rutabagas.
I know carrots (quite well), and I did buy parsnips for the first time this year (they look like big white carrots!) but have never bought a rutabaga. The produce guy was eager to lead the way, and for the rest of the afternoon I sang "rutabaga sits in the old gum tree" even though I know darned well that those arent the correct words. I just couldnt get it out of my head.
The Ingredients.
--2 pounds carrots
--2 pounds rutabagas
--2 pounds parsnips
--1/2 cup chopped parsley
--3 T olive oil
--1 tsp kosher salt
--1 tsp black pepper
--1 tsp basil
The Directions.
This is enough food to feed about 12. I used the 6.5 quart crockpot. Peel all of your vegetables, and cut into 2-inch chunks. Feed scraps to the guinea pigs. Im usually a huge fan of the baby
carrot (because of laziness), but wanted a more rugged look for this dish. If you would like to use baby carrots, go for it, and dont cut them. Chop the parsley.Put all the vegetables into your crockpot, and add the olive oil, basil, salt, and pepper. Toss with your hands to coat fully coat the vegetables.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-5. The vegetables are done when they have reached desired tenderness. I cooked ours on low for 6 hours, then on high for about 90 minutes.
The Verdict.
I love the ease of roasting vegetables in the crockpot. I would have needed to cook this much food in batches in the oven, and stirred them a few times to keep them from burning (I am no good with the oven!) but in this case, I put the veggies on in the morning and was out for most of the day. The kids picked out a few carrots, but found them to be spicy.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Best 10 Power Foods You Should Eat This Winter
The cold freezing winters bring with it its own set of specialties. There are the foods, the games, the hang outs of winters which are special in their own way. And just like that winters have their own set of protections to keep one away from getting sick or anything like that. There are 10 power foods you should eat this winter if you want to stay healthy and also have fun with the cold weather around you.
Listed below are the best 10 power foods you should eat this winter season:
1.Dairy:
You must drink plenty of hot milk, and consume dairy foods such as yogurt and cheese mixed with many other foods. This would keep you warm from within and also give your bones the right protection. In winter season bones have the tendency to break as it is very cold and having a vitamin D and calcium intake can really protect your bones.
Best 10 Power Foods You Should Eat This Winter
2.Stews:
The stews made with lean beef in it provide the body with iron which is needed for the production of red blood cells which is needed for proper functioning of the body.
3.Green Tea:
Just one mug of green tea in winters is good to warm you up. It also has other qualities like acting as an anti cancerous drink which prevents the growth of tumors of skin.
4.Tuna:
It is good to eat Tuna in winters since it has vitamin D in it which we do not get much as we do not get exposed to the sun that much.
5.Barley:
This delicious and chewy grain contains in it ingredients which lower the cholesterol inside your body and has selenium in it and this prevents you from getting damaged because of the free radicals. It is a perfect ingredient to be mixed in soups and stews.
10 Power Foods You Should Eat This Winter
6.Squash:
The winter squashes are best to be consumed in winters. The two tasty and healthy squashes are of butternut and pumpkin which contain in them vitamin A which helps in improving one’s eyesight.
7.Garlic and Onions:
These two bulbs not only make our foods tastier but also protect us from any winter bugs. This is because they have anti microbial properties in them.
8.Kale:
This provides the body with vitamin K which helps in giving one strong bones and helps in blood clotting during this season. the megadose of vitamin K is something we all need during this season.
9.Potatoes:
The two types of potatoes are for their flavor and their qualities can not neglected. The white potatoes provide one with vitamin C whereas the sweet potatoes provide you with vitamin A. both these vitamins protect the immune system during the cold weather.
10.Citrus:
The fruits rich in citrus such as oranges, limes, grapefruits etc must be consumed more during this season as they would help in nourishing the skin and protecting it against dryness. They also help the immune system in making it function properly.
Best 10 Power Foods You Should Eat This Winter
The cold freezing winters bring with it its own set of specialties. There are the foods, the games, the hang outs of winters which are special in their own way. And just like that winters have their own set of protections to keep one away from getting sick or anything like that. There are 10 power foods you should eat this winter if you want to stay healthy and also have fun with the cold weather around you.
Listed below are the best 10 power foods you should eat this winter season:
1.Dairy:
You must drink plenty of hot milk, and consume dairy foods such as yogurt and cheese mixed with many other foods. This would keep you warm from within and also give your bones the right protection. In winter season bones have the tendency to break as it is very cold and having a vitamin D and calcium intake can really protect your bones.
The stews made with lean beef in it provide the body with iron which is needed for the production of red blood cells which is needed for proper functioning of the body.
3.Green Tea:
Just one mug of green tea in winters is good to warm you up. It also has other qualities like acting as an anti cancerous drink which prevents the growth of tumors of skin.
4.Tuna:
It is good to eat Tuna in winters since it has vitamin D in it which we do not get much as we do not get exposed to the sun that much.
5.Barley:
This delicious and chewy grain contains in it ingredients which lower the cholesterol inside your body and has selenium in it and this prevents you from getting damaged because of the free radicals. It is a perfect ingredient to be mixed in soups and stews.
10 Power Foods You Should Eat This Winter
6.Squash:
The winter squashes are best to be consumed in winters. The two tasty and healthy squashes are of butternut and pumpkin which contain in them vitamin A which helps in improving one’s eyesight.
7.Garlic and Onions:
These two bulbs not only make our foods tastier but also protect us from any winter bugs. This is because they have anti microbial properties in them.
8.Kale:
This provides the body with vitamin K which helps in giving one strong bones and helps in blood clotting during this season. the megadose of vitamin K is something we all need during this season.
9.Potatoes:
The two types of potatoes are for their flavor and their qualities can not neglected. The white potatoes provide one with vitamin C whereas the sweet potatoes provide you with vitamin A. both these vitamins protect the immune system during the cold weather.
10.Citrus:
The fruits rich in citrus such as oranges, limes, grapefruits etc must be consumed more during this season as they would help in nourishing the skin and protecting it against dryness. They also help the immune system in making it function properly.
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