Tropical Feburary

February is usually a funny month for me. Although its the shortest month of the year, it always seems to drag on! Maybe its the anticipation of spring weather that makes it so frustrating. Instead of staring at the gloomy weather outside, I decided to make a tropical salsa to add punch to a mid-week dinner. Clementines were all over the Commissary, which inspired me to do a fruit salsa over grilled chicken. Its amazing how your mood improves when you make a summer-ish dinner in winter. Try it out!

Clementine Avocado Salsa:
4 clementines, peeled and diced
1 avocado, cut into chunks
1 serrano chili, seeded and minced
1 scallion, diced
1/2 cup (or more) chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime

-Combine all ingredients, chill for 2 hours and serve!

Unfortunately I don't have a picture. My camera's flash is too harsh, so I can only take pictures in daylight. Must save for a new camera...

Eating Cauliflower

Not only is this recipe super easy to make, but its one of the only ways I can get Seth to eat cauliflower! This member of the cabbage family is high in Vitamin C, dietary fiber, and folate. One cup of cauliflower contains 25 calories and 3 grams of fiber. Odd fact about cauliflower... it doesn't just come in white! Orange, purple, and bright green varieties, due to antioxidant coloration, are delicious and can usually be found in specialty markets. My CSA grew a pale purple variety, which is what I used for this dish. I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light's version, just because butter really brings out the cauliflower flavor and the citrus adds a nice kick. Enjoy!

Lemon Mustard Cauliflower

1 small head of cauliflower

1 tsp Kosher salt

4 Tbsp butter, melted

Juice and zest from one lemon

3 Tbsp whole grain mustard

3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. Cut cauliflower into 1/4 inch thick slices and arrange on a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and roast about 15 minutes.

-Whisk together remaining ingredients and spoon over cauliflower and roast until tender crisp (around 15- 20 minutes longer) Yield: 6 servings

Minty Garlic Carrots

As I was writing a paper on the standardization of the processed food choice, I ran across an article (that I now wish I could find!) that mentioned fewer and fewer kids are recognizing the whole form of a carrot. Baby carrots are very convenient, but if that's all we eat then we are surly missing out! I'm not saying baby carrots are bad, but maybe we could make the switch every now and then just so the kids recognize a carrot in its natural state, or better yet plant some and dig them up!

This carrot recipe is not only delicious but super easy! Seth was a little skeptical about the combination of ingredients, but after trying he LOVED them. Carrots are low calorie due to their fiber and water content and they're an excellent source of Vitamin A.

Minty Garlic Carrots

4 large carrots cut into medallions

2 Tbsp chopped mint

3 garlic cloves

1 Tbsp butter

Salt and pepper to taste

1.) Place all ingredients in a pan and fill with water to almost cover carrots. Simmer until fork tender. Serves 2!

More Veggie Recipes

I promise I'll write about something other than vegetables, but its summertime and I'm surrounded by farmer's markets and fresh produce. Can't help myself! I did find some lovely baby golden beets at our hospital's Thoroughly Fresh Thursday market. My fellow dietitian gave me a wonderful recipe, but I had to make a few changes. If you can't find beets with the greens attached, then you can substitute kale or chard.

Warm Orange Beet Saute

1 bunch baby golden beets with greens

1 fresh orange, peeled and chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 garlic scallion (or 2 garlic cloves), minced

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp toasted almonds

Salt and pepper to taste

1.) Remove greens from beets and set aside. Boil beets in salted water until fork tender. Shock in ice bath and skins should slide off. Cut into bite size pieces.

2.) Heat oil in large skillet and saute garlic briefly. Add greens and and vinegar and wilt for 2-4 minutes. Add beets and oranges and heat through. Remove greens, beets, and oranges and let vinegar reduce. Before serving sprinkle of almonds. Serves 2 people.

Feta and Dill Stuffed Swiss Chard

I'm not one for making fussy stuffed foods at home. (Usually leave that to the professionals) I prefer my swiss chard sauteed with a little garlic, super simple! However, my CSA provider (Rosehip Farm and Garden) sent us a few recipes with this week's box, and I'd hate to burn out on sauteed chard so I thought I'd give the recipe a shot. That and I was procrastinating on writing a paper for a class and cooking is a great distraction!

Swiss Chard is a leafy green vegetable with a crunchy edible stalk. It can have a bitter flavor, so most prefer to cook or blanch before eating. Chard is very high in Vitamins K, A, and C along with magnesium, potassium, and Iron. One cup of cooked chard only contains 35 calories and almost 4grams of fiber. What a delicious way to get more greens! As always, I made a few changes to make the recipe my own. I can never follow a recipe, must be the Underwood in me. Anyways here is my version:

Feta and Dill stuffed Swiss Chard
6 chard leaves
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1//2 cup feta cheese
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1/2 egg, slightly beaten
1 garlic scallion or green onion
1/2 tsp dill (or parsley)
Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
2 tsp grainy mustard
Sprinkling of garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

1.) Blanch chard leaves in boiling water for 30 seconds. Immediately place in an ice bath.

2.) Lay chard out to dry. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Place 2 Tbsp of the filling on each leaf. Fold over the sides of the leaf and roll up like a burrito. Place the seam side on on a greased baking sheet and brush lightly with oil.

3.) Bake 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Serves 2-3 people.


These were so delicious that I couldn't wait to eat them! Sorry no picture this time!

Odd Veggie in my Fridge: Daikon

As I was rummaging the aisles of my local commissary, my eyes spotted a root vegetable that you don't see too often... Daikon. I've tried this yummy Asian radish in restaurants before, but I've never actually cooked with it. Becoming more intrigued by the daikon, I placed one in my cart and happily continued my shopping in hopes of finding some inspiration. A stir-fry maybe? Or a salad? Oh the possibilities... Several days passed and the white root screamed at me from my crisper. Despite the frigid temperature outside, I was craving the snappy texture and the sweet-spicy flavor of raw daikon. (Because I was feeling too lazy to actually cook something that day) My fridge also contained some seasonal red cabbage, thus my colorful winter slaw was born! Although it's not seasonal, I did add a bunch of peppery watercress to give the slaw a nice kick. To tie it all together, I made a vinaigrette with fresh ginger to add a punch of heat since it was chilly outside. Bake up some sesame crusted salmon and you've got a complete dish!

From a nutrition perspective, daikon is packed with vitamins and minerals. One 7 inch daikon contains 61 calories, 5 grams of fiber, 124% of your Daily Value (DV) of Vitamin C, and 24% DV of folate. It's also a great source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and copper! No excuses, go pick up a daikon today!

                         

Winter Daikon, Red Cabbage, and Watercress Slaw-

Ginger Vinaigrette:

1 inch fresh ginger, minced

1 inch fresh ginger gut into small chunks (optional)

3/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup canola oil

1 Tbsp sesame oil

Kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste

3 drops Sriracha chili sauce (optional) 

-Squeeze the ginger chunks thru a garlic press to juice. Whisk all ingredients together and add chili sauce and seasonings to taste. 

Slaw:

3 cups chopped daikon (about one medium sized radish)

4 cups chopped red cabbage

3 green onions, chopped

2 cups watercress

-Add first 3 ingredients in a large bowl and combine with 3/4 cup vinaigrette. Gently toss in watercress. Makes 4 servings.