A Sweet Treat

I am a big lover of melons, but a few years ago while on a Candida cleanse a doctor advised me to stop eating cantaloupe since it tends to grow mold on the skin. With that said my love for watermelon and honeydew grew exponentially. That was until this week. 

While shopping in the farmer’s market I took a bite of a sample Honey Sweet Melon that had been sliced up, this melon was DELICIOUS!!!! When sliced up this melon is white in color and from the outside it looks very similar to honeydew. 

I picked up the melon at Lani Farm’s they always have great produce ranging from items new to me  such as Shishito Peppers, Avocado Squash and Tatsoi to staples such as tomatoes and asparagus. 

Be sure to check out the Honey Melon while it is still in season.

Farmer's Market Breakfast

After my trip to the Farmer's Market this morning I decided to make myself a healthy breakfast to kickstart the day.

I decided to have:
Green Juice (Kale, Celery, Apples, Cucumbers, Lemons, Ginger) 
1 slice of Organic 9 Grain Bread from Bread Alone 
2 eggs (1 whole, 1 white)
Handful of kale 
Handful cherry tomatoes

This breakfast was simple and easy, made my green juice and tossed the remaining ingredients into a pan until the eggs were cooked and and the tomatoes and kale wilted. Once cooked I placed it on top of the 9 grain bread.

Farmer's Market - Part V

It has been a busy August but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been filled with all sorts of fruits, vegetables and healthy whole grains.

This morning I headed out to the farmer’s market to get all of the ingredients to kick start the week. While I picked up some of my usual items to make Green Juice (Kale, Celery, Apples, Cucumbers, Lemons, Ginger) as well as some heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn and summer squash.

Some new ingredients that I picked up don’t need much to taste great. Each can be tossed in a pan with a little olive oil and topped with sea salt. I enjoy trying new vegetables and exploring what is offered seasonally. Here are 3 vegetables with substantial health benefits.

Okra – Containing both vitamins A and C, Okra is also a good source of iron and calcium. It also contains starch, fat, ash, thiamine and riboflavin. The superior fiber found in okra helps to stabilize the blood sugar by curbing the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract, it is also excellent for feeding the good bacteria (probiotics). Okra is also said to be good for asthma, preventing diabetes, constipation and so much more.

 

Shishito Peppers - These peppers are sweet, mild, slender Japanese chiles about 2-4 inches long and about one-half inch wide. The bumpy skin matures from light lime green to dark, wrinkled red.  The chiles are harvested before they ripen to red and should be consumed while still green. Shishito Peppers are completely edible, including the seeds. 

 

Long Beans - Green Beans also known as string beans are one of the only few varieties of beans that are eaten fresh. Chinese long beans measure 12-14 inches in length and are prepared the same as regular green beans. Green Beans offer cardiovascular protection can help lower high blood pressure, help prevent weakening of the bone, help promote a healthy colon and much more.

Be sure to check out past Farmer’s Market finds.

Past Entries:

Farmers Market Part I / Farmers Market Part II / Farmers Market Part III / Farmer’s Market Part IV

Adventures from Agata & Valentina

While out and about on the Upper East Side this week I decided to drop into Agata & Valentina to see what fun foods they had prepared.

I decided to drop by the Appetizing and Smoked Fish counter where I found some great looking cooked octopus as well as mussels in a spicy tomato sauce.

While both of these items tasted fantastic alone. I decided to turn them both into two separate meals of both a salad and “pasta”.

Octopus Salad

Ingredients:

Pre-cooked octopus

½ avocado

½ cup of watermelon

½ cup of cherry tomatoes – halved

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve.

A simple summer salad that tastes great. Can’t get pre-cooked octopus? Try to make some on your own, or substitute for salmon or another fish of your liking. Also great as a light snack without fish.

Zucchini and Spicy Mussel "Pasta"

Ingredients:

Pre-cooked mussels

1 large zucchini

1 tbsp EVOO

Julienne zucchini and add to pan with EVOO. Sauté zucchini until soft and add in mussels until heated. Once warm place in bowl and serve.

Zucchini is an easy vegetable to turn into “pasta” and can be paired with any protein you may like. Have fun experimenting and getting to know your taste buds.  

Cilantro-Lime Halibut and Shrimp Tacos

While home at my parents for the weekend I decided it would be nice if I cooked my family dinner and gave my mom a break for a change. Of course she didn’t give me full reign of the kitchen, so we decided on a joint venture. I decided on fish tacos and it was off to the supermarket for some quality shopping time with mom.

Ingredients:

Shrimp

Halibut

Corn

Sour Cream (or Greek Yogurt)

Lettuce

Whole Wheat Wraps

For Marinade:

Lime

Cilantro

Jalapeño

For Guacamole:

Avocado

Tomato

Sweet Onion

Cilantro

Salt and Pepper to season

For Pico De Gallo:

Tomato

Onion

Cilantro

Lime

Salt and Pepper to season

We decided to work without a recipe and just wing it based on what looked good in the supermarket.

First up I started on the marinade. A mixture of 4 squeezed limes, ¼ cup of fresh cilantro chopped, ½ jalapeño pepper chopped up.  

While I made the marinade my mom started to peel the kernels off of the corn. They were then transferred to a bbq grill pan and tossed on the bbq.

Next it was a quick dip in the marinade for the shrimp and halibut and then off to the bbq. (When cooking indoors in a pan cook the fish and shrimp first and then coat with marinade in pan and let cook.)

While the corn and fish where on the grill I went ahead and started on the Guacamole and Pico de Gallo. I diced the sweet onion, tomato and cilantro and separated into 2 bowls. In one bowl I added some lime and salt and pepper to taste, and in the second I added diced avocado and salt and pepper to taste.

After that it was time to take the fish off the grill and toss the wraps on to toast a bit. After they were toasted it was time to get everything on the table. Including a bowl or lettuce as well as the sour cream. 

This meal was such a great summer dish filled with lots of healthy and nutritious ingredients. I look forward to eating this throughout the remainder of the summer.