Strawberry Cardamom Lassi

Yogurt is the original probiotic.  Yogurt based drinks have been popular for thousands of years in places like China, Turkey, the Eastern European and Caucuss regions, and the Middle East. Each part of the world have their own versions, both savory and sweet.  The fermentation of the milk allows helpful lactobacilli bacteria to populate our guts and aid in digestion.  This balance of bacteria in our guts, known as the microbiome,  is being studied intensely in medical circles right now as they are linked to many processes in the body, including mood and memory.  Disturbance of this microbiome is thought to cause problems with our health.

Yogurt is a good way to repopulate and nourish a healthy microbiome.  I feel strongly that the key to getting benefit from yogurt is choosing one that is free of preservatives, thickeners. (guar gum, carrageenan, methylcellulose, etc) and sweeteners. These ingredients may be causing an inflammatory reaction in the gut, which is the second largest immune organ next to our skin, preventing the absorption of the nutrients and changing the lactobacilli.    

This is a delicious recipe for lassi, the Indian version of yogurt drink.  I get my goat milk from the remarkable family at Swede Farm.  You can always alter the fruit, but I find the cardamom works best with strawberries.  This simple and delicious drink is more of a food, which is how I think about all dairy.  You’re getting protein, fiber, Vitamin C, Folic Acid, acanthocyanins (plant based compounds thought to be beneficial is heart health and cancer prevention), and the minerals manganese and potassium. A little local honey for sweetness keeps the glycemic index lower than using refined sugars, stevia or agave.

^{This is a recycled recipe from my Facebook page published on 4/22/17}

RECIPE: Strawberry Lassi

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb strawberries, cut up
• 1 qt natural goat milk yogurt (if using thick goat or cow milk yogurt use 1-1/2 cups yogurt and 1/2 cup water)
• 2-3Tsp honey (optional and to taste depending on how sweet your strawberries are)
• 1/2 tsp Penzey's ground cardamom

PROCESS

1. Blend.
2. Adjust sweetness.
3. Enjoy!

Makes 4 cups.

Sorrel-A Green that’s a Lemony Delight

Sorrel is a nutrition packed summer green that’s deliciously tart, and can be added to salads, pesto and so much more. It’s not always readily found, but if you can get your hands on it, you should try it.  It’s lemony tartness is fragrant, without the sweetness of lemon. There are multiple different varieties; some are all green, some have beautiful red and pink variegated leaves.  I have made sorrel/chard and ricotta soup in the past. I love sorrel and parsley pesto with pecans taking the place of pine nuts to add a little sweetness, and balance the tartness from the sorrel.

Today, the bunch of sorrel in my farmers’ market basket paired with summer yellow squash, some dried herbs from the pantry and a fresh pasta from my freezer to make a light, easy and healthy lunch.   The vegetables are clearly the stars here, fresh from the farm.  

Sorrel is nutritious and a good source of fiber.  It’s rich in vitamins A and C, B6, magnesium and iron. As always, a little added fat will help your body absorb the vitamin A.  You can certainly skip the cream and pasta and eat the sautéed vegetables on their own.  This recipe can be easily scaled up with more vegetables and pasta.  

So easy, delicious, nutritious and pretty.  My husband said he would eat it everyday. I hope you like it. 

RECIPE: Sorrel & Summer Squash Pasta

INGREDIENTS

• 4 to 6 oz fresh pasta (you can use 2-3 oz 0f your favorite dried as well) 
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil  
• 1 teaspoon dried oragano
• 1 teaspoon Penzey’s Foxpoint Herb Mix
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 1/3 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups diced summer squash
• 2 cups chopped sorrell
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• grated parmesan

PROCESS

1. Sautee squash in olive oil with salt and spices until tender. 
2. Add sorrel and cream, and toss. Turn off the heat.
3. Add cooked pasta and toss.
4. Serve with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan. 

Serves 2

Basic Greens

Greens are good and good for you. I love greens: Swiss chard, spinach, beet, mustard, amaranth, collard, radish, kale and so many others are all great to eat. I also love the leaves of cauliflower, broccoli, and brussel sprouts and cook them in the same manner, chopping the stems and cooking them a little longer.  (I do not use carrot tops as they concentrate arsenic from the soil).  I’m always surprised when people tell me they don’t like greens. They usually haven’t had them prepared in a way they like. The usual method of cooking greens with salted pork or bacon is tasty to many, but takes awhile, and the greens are very, very cooked. My method takes almost no time at all, and results in a light, bright just wilted green that’s delicious, and healthy. 

Greens are packed with nutrition and a great source of fiber. They are rich in iron, potassium, zinc and other minerals.  Amaranth is a rich source of folate, and other B vitamins. Swiss chard and beet greens are rich sources of vitamin A, which is more readily absorbed by the body if eaten with a little good fat, like extra virgin olive oil. Overall, the nutritional profiles of all greens are such that it’s a shame not to have them as a regular part of our meals. They also keep you feeling full with very few calories.

Greens need to be washed well. I soak mine in lots of water in the sink, allowing dirt to sink to the bottom, and then drain (see Food Safety). I separate the leaves from the stems, which I chop and sauté before adding in the greens.  

This is more a method than a recipe and can be adjusted for various quantities as ‘a bunch’ varies tremendously.  Remember, that greens cook down considerably, so start in a large pan. You will end up with a much smaller volume in the end.  Always salt at the end, when you can see the cooked amount, otherwise you’ll usually end up with overly salty and watery greens.

I’m showing rainbow chard here, because that’s what’s growing where I am. It’s also very tender and sweet. And pretty. 

RECIPE: Basic Greens

INGREDIENTS  

• 1 bunch greens  (washed and chopped, about 8 cups of greens)
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) 
• 1 teaspoon vinegar (I like champagne and cider) 
• Salt and Pepper

PROCESS

1. Heat oil in large pan with pepper flakes. 
2. Add the stems and sautee for 3-4 minutes to soften. 
3. Add greens and toss to wilt and cook through.
4. Add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste and toss to evenly distribute. 

Makes 4 servings.

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce (San Marzano)

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The first crop of good tomatoes finally made it to the farmers’ market. And to my great surprise, I found that my Plant It Forward farmer, Sarment had San Marzano tomatoes in his basket.  According to Wikipedia, San Marzano tomatoes originate from the small town of San Marzano sul Sarno, near Naples, Italy, and were first grown in volcanic soil in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. If I have to use canned tomatoes, these are the only ones I use.

These San Marzanos  were grown in Houston, with no volcanic soil in sight. But everything Farmer Sarment grows is delicious.  So I bought a few intending to showcase them in a no-cook tomato sauce as we hit our first 90 degree days for the year.

Using the best and freshest ingredients in this dish is a must as each flavor shines and nothing is hidden.  Using store bought tomatoes that have been held in cold storage for several weeks with no flavor, aroma or taste, is not advised.  Fresh tomatoes from your garden or a local farmers’ market are the best choice.  The olive oil should also be very good quality and have a rich flavor. For this recipe I use Iliada Organic Extra Virgin Kalamata Olive Oil (you can usually find this in import markets or online).  The pasta also deserves some attention.  I prefer a dry pasta here as it lends some tooth to the soft texture and lightness of the sauce, and using a good organic wheat variety is warranted. Use fresh pasta if you prefer.  The parts blend together to form a simple, delicious dish.  The sauce is extremely light and flavorful.  The tomatoes macerate in the oil and lend their flavor to the sauce without fully breaking down, so its really more of a tomato oil that coats the pasta with lovely bits of tomato along with it.  A little crusty bread will help you lap up every last drop.

The olive oil helps us absorb the vitamin A from the tomatoes. The tomatoes are also a rich source of vitamin C and lycopene.  The pasta provides magnesium, several B vitamins, including thiamine (B1), which are necessary for brain health and memory.

As spring gives way to summer, what better way to lighten our spirits and our dishes than avoiding time at the stove.  Just a pot to boil the pasta and a big bowl to macerate the tomato sauce is all you’ll need to get a healthy and delicious meal on the table. 

RECIPE: Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 24oz fresh tomatoes,  finely chopped (preferably plum or San Marzanos if you can find them)
• 1 bunch/handful fresh basil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 C extra virgin olive oil (the good stuff)
• 8 oz (dry weight) organic spaghetti/fettuccine cooked al dente in salted water 
• Freshly grated parmigiano regiano for serving

PROCESS

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl (big enough to fit the pasta and toss)and let sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. The longer it sits the better it gets.
2. Add the well-drained cooked pasta and toss. Serve topped with grated parmigiano regiano, and a few more basil leaves.

Serves 2-4

An Apple a Day Won’t Keep the Doctor Away

How old?

Did you know the apples we get from the grocery store are 9 to 12 months old?  I know it’s hard to believe and a little unnerving, but it’s true.   The USDA allows a method of sophisticated food technology called controlled atmosphere storage that holds apples between 30 and 36 degrees for up to 1 year.  Freshly picked apples will last a few weeks before they spoil, so this is a way to preserve them.  Some fruit distributors treat their apples with a gaseous compound, 1-methylcyclopropene, which blocks the ethylene produced when fruits are ripening and aging naturally.  This is the same compound that keeps broccoli from yellowing and lettuce from browning.  This is how we have apples, which normally have a short season that lasts from August to October, all year long. It’s also how we get the varieties from all around the world. This may seem like a good thing, but it’s not. 

4 hours after cutting

The apple I’m eating may look fresh, and it may be sweet, but it certainly doesn’t taste like the freshly picked version. It also has very little nutritional content.  Over time, the antioxidants and vitamins, especially vitamin C which is highly labile, degrade so there is almost no nutrition left in the year old apple.  Cold storage of any produce reduces the nutritional value, and the longer it’s stored, the more it’s robbed of nutrition. This may explain why so many people I see in my practice are low in vitamin C, despite eating fruits and vegetables from the grocery store, whether organic or not. 

My first apple pie recipe came out of a 1963 Betty Crocker cookbook and the first thing to do was ready a bowl of lemon juice in which to place the peeled apples to keep them from browning. 30 years ago, the apples did brown quickly when you you cut them. This was the sign that the vitamin C was oxidizing and could be prevented by the lemon juice, which is vitamin C rich.  But these days, I can cut an apple and let the core sit out for several hours with minimal discoloration; a sign that very little vitamin C and anti-oxidants are present.  

The best way to enjoy taste and nutrition would be to eat fresh apples in season. But that would limit our year round access, and require a huge change in food policy. 

6 hours after cutting

Knowing all this, I still eat apples occasionally because I love them with my aged English cheddar. I think of eating apples as I do any other sweet treat, a form of calories with a little fiber for good measure.  When I think of eating nutritous fruits, I choose seasonal, local items from the farmers market, where freshness is certain. Right now, I have the last of the oranges, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries available and I’m taking full advantage of them.

It’s a sad thing that shelf life has taken priority over taste and nutrition. Only by demanding a change in food policy can we fix this. It’s a long battle and maybe we can start with A for apple.