Attack of the Killer Tomatoes..or so it seemed at the time

The older I get the more I look back on my childhood with fond memories and a longing to go back to them. There is however one memory that I do not wish to relive and try not to remember it all that often either. It is the single reason it took me until my early twenties to eat a tomato. I will, for the sake of this educational blog, recount this life changing event. My family has deep roots in southern New Jersey. As a child I would spend at least a week or two visiting my great grandmother during the summer months. It was during one such trip that I wandered into a neighbors yard and got lost in their tomato patch. I must have been 5 or 6 at the time, so imagine how much this simple tomato garden seemed jungle like to me. I'm sure the experience lasted no longer than 5 minutes, but it felt like so much longer as I listened to my parents calling out for me "Carrie where are you?", "Carrie you were specifically told not to go out of this yard", "Carrie get back here this very instant". Oh how I wished I could get back there, but the more I walked the more it felt like I was trapped in a never ending jungle of vines. You must understand that in south Jersey gardens grow like weeds and the tomato plants are larger than anything I've ever seen. Even to this day they amaze me. Eventually I stumbled out into the yard only to be scolded for wandering off and for ruining a very new outfit. The whole experience gave me a new attitude about the tomato.

Today though, I can say that it is one food I've come to love and enjoy. I've successfully grown my own tomatoes, but not as of late. It's just too easy to find locally grown, organic tomatoes of many varieties. This week I hope to tempt your tastebuds and encourage you all to go out and eat some tomatoes. I know I was a bit lazy in my blogging last week, but I've got plenty for you on the subject of tomatoes. Check me out again tomorrow.

Bewildered by beets no more...

I spend way too much money on magazine subscriptions that tend to go unread, so my mission this weekend was to catch up on my reading. I made it through 3 editions of Natural Heath and 2 months of Cooking Light and am I glad I did. I stumbled upon a wonderful recipe for a nice summer salad. Cumin rubbed steak and root vegatable salad. It was a hard sell, but I got my mom and hubby to agree to try it for dinner this evening. My hubby seemed to enjoy it, but my mom didn't eat any of the root veggies so she basically had a steak salad. Her loss. I don't know about you readers, but beets are a veggie I've always loved, but have been scared to try fresh, so this was my first adventure with fresh beets and it wasn't so scary afterall. I wonder if I could grow some next year? All this research on organic fruits and veggies is making me want to map out plans for a garden next year. Anyway, here is the recipe and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

CUMIN-RUBBED STEAK
AND ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLE SALAD
Total Recipe Time: 1 to 1¼ hours
Serves: 4

4 beef tenderloin steaks, cut ¾ inch thick (about 4 oz each)
1 lb beets, trimmed, peeled, cut into eighths (cut into quarters, if small)
½ cup water
2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1½ x 1-inch pieces
3 shallots, peeled, cut lengthwise in half (about 5 oz)
1-½ tsp olive oil
½ tsp sea or kosher salt
1-½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp coarse grind black pepper
8 cups mixed salad greens
Sea salt

Sweet Beet Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp reserved beet cooking liquid
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp sea or kosher salt
1½ Tbsp olive oil

Heat oven to 425°F. Place beets in small roasting pan or 9-inch metal baking pan; drizzle with water. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil. Place sweet potatoes and shallots on 15x10 inch metal baking pan. Drizzle with 1½ teaspoons oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss to coat. Roast vegetables in 425°F oven for 30 minutes or until tender.

Remove beets from pan; reserve 2 tablespoons cooking liquid for vinaigrette. Loosely cover vegetables. Set aside.

Combine cumin and pepper; press evenly onto beef steaks. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Place top sirloin steak in skillet; cook 7 to 9 minutes for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally. Remove to platter; keep warm.

Meanwhile, to prepare Sweet Beet Vinaigrette, combine all ingredients except oil in small bowl; gradually whisk in oil until blended.

Arrange salad greens on serving plates or platter. Top with roasted vegetables; drizzle with vinaigrette. Carve steaks into slices. Season with salt, as desired. Arrange over salad.

Nutrition information per serving: 400 calories; 15 g fat(4 g saturated fat; 8 g monounsaturated fat); 67 mg cholesterol; 783 mg sodium; 38 g carbohydrate; 7.9 g fiber; 31 g protein; 7.9 mg niacin; 0.7 mg vitamin B6; 1.4 mcg vitamin B12; 5.0 mg iron; 29.5 mcg selenium; 5.4 mg zinc.

"Pesti" Peaches!

As I sit here eating my last peach for lunch and contemplate a new topic for the upcoming week, it crossed my mind that I haven't yet touched upon organic vs. non-organic when it comes to peaches. Some say a general rule of thumb is you don't need to buy organic if the fruit or veggie has a thick peel/skin that you won't be eating. I think that's OK if your only reason to buy organic is to avoid ingesting any toxins in pesticides. There are also those with strong beliefs that you should buy and eat only organic produce and products. These beliefs stem from the fact that pesticides have been shown to cause significant environmental damage and have contributed to the growing number of food allergies. We could talk all day on the subject and I'm not likely to convince you one way or the other, but on the topic of peaches.....definitely organic!

A 2008 USDA study found that most non-organic peaches headed for U.S. stores are riddled with pesticides. In fact, 5 of the compounds exceeded acceptable EPA levels. Don't be fooled into believing that you are safe if you buy your produce from a farm stand or farmer's market. The produce might be local and fresh, but if it isn't labled as ORGANIC, chances are you are getting more than just the fruit you paid for. Additionally, the study showed that produce grown outside of the United States may contain pesticides that aren't even approved for use in the U.S. Not good my friends.

In short, be aware of what you are buying and how it was grown or produced. In a perfect world we would all have nice big yards and green thumbs and could grow our own organic produce, but since I tend to kill everything I plant...not an option for me. I know organic goods tend to be a bit more expensive, but as I tell my husband "I'm worth it".

Peachy Perfection

I never knew how many health benefits were associated with a simple peach. A medium sized peach has only 59 calories, no fat or cholesterol and 2 grams of fiber. Like most fruit most of the calories are from the sugar content, but we are talking natural sugar here people. Peaches are also a great source of vitamins A, C and potassium.

I've also recently read that:

• Peaches my help make the skin healthy and also add color to the complexion


• Peaches are comprised of more than 80 percent water and are a good source of dietary fiber, making them good for those trying to lose weight


• Consumption of peaches, on a regular basis, help keep your bowel movements regular and even prevent straining


• Peaches have a small laxative effect and a powerful diuretic effect and are recommended to people suffering from rheumatism and gout
  

According to the Michigan Peach Sponsors:
" Peaches are a tasty treat with modest calories, a good source of potassium, vitamins A & C, low sodium, no saturated fat. Peaches are a healthful snack and a smart, low calorie way to end a meal."

Here is just one recipe to make your peaches last all year long...or at least until you eat it all.

Peach Chutney Preserves
4 cups peeled, pitted, & finely chopped peaches
3/4 cut cider vinegar
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/8 cup chopped ginger root
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
7 1/2 cup sugar
1 bottle liquid fruit pectin

Put the peaches in a large kettle and add the vinegar, lemon juice, raisins, onion, ginger root, salt and spices. Add the sugar and mix thoroughly. Place over high heat and bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Boil hard one minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in pectin immediately. Skim off the foam with a metal spoon and stir and skim for five minutes to cool slightly and prevent floating fruit.

Ladle into hot sterilized glasses and cover with melted paraffin wax. Store in a cool, dark, dry place.

Week #1 - Peaches

Did you know that peaches should be stored at room temperature and refrigeration should be avoided as this can lessen the taste of the peach and that peaches do not ripen after being picked from the tree, so storing for ripening is not necessary? I did not know that, but then again, I've never done any research. Don't get me wrong, I love to cook, but like so many other busy professionals, I tend to follow a cookbook and not think about the natural ingredients other than "Does my mega mart have that?".

I wonder who started these rumors about storing peaches in a brown paper bag? My peaches never ripen in the blasted bag. This little bit of knowledge will make my peach picking endeavours at the store much more successful.

I made an excellent Gingersnap Peach Pie last night and forced myself to buy already ripe peaches at the store yesterday. I had one left over and decided to enjoy it in it's natural state. It was like a peach exploded in my mouth. I don't know that I've ever eaten a peach so tasty. I now know that it should always taste like this. Ripe and free of refrigeration. The challenge now is find a way of keeping them fresh at room temperature without spoiling before I eat them or the cats lick them to death.

I wonder if anyone out there has other stories about peaches or recipes they wish to share? Here is one for Gingersnap Peach Pie (see photo):

INGREDIENTS:
2 pound(s) peach(es), yellow or white variety
1/3 cup(s) sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 oz gingersnap(s), about 18 cookie

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Cut peaches in half and remove pits. Cut each peach half into four slices. Combine peaches, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and cornstarch in a medium bowl; set aside.

Melt butter in microwave or on stove top. Crush gingersnaps into crumbs; place in a small bowl. Pour melted butter into crumbs and combine thoroughly. Pat crumb mixture into bottom of a 9-inch ceramic or glass pie plate; make sure crumbs are evenly distributed.

Starting at edge of pie plate, arrange peach slices in concentric circles so that they cover entire surface of pie and form a petal-like pattern. To form center of flower, arrange several peach slices in a small circle. Pour any remaining liquid from peach mixture over top of pie so it is evenly distributed.

Bake pie in bottom 1/3 of oven for 20 minutes; reduce heat to 325ºF and bake for 40 minutes more.
Remove from oven and cool completely in pie plate on a wire rack (about 2 hours). Slice into 8 pieces just before serving. Yields 1 piece per serving. (3 WW Points per serving)

(Note: You don't have to peel the peaches first. I didn't and it was still very tasty and the skins were practically dissolved from the cooking process)

The purpose

I've thought quite a bit about food lately. I've been reading numerous books on the subject as well. It's all very interesting, but very overwhelming at the same time. I think as a nation we are consumed with food, either avoiding it or enjoying it. There doesn't seem to be much middle of the road on this subject. My goal with this blog is to talk about all natural foods. One a week perhaps. I'll pick a food and spend the week talking about it's history, it's uses and share some great recipes. I hope you join my quest in getting back to the basics and will share your suggestions, comments and recipes as we go.