How to Cook an Artichoke

So you finally brought the awkward looking vegetable home and now have no clue what to do with it!  That’s very understandable; looks alone deter the majority of consumers.  I had the pleasure of being taught by my grandmother how to cook this yummy vegetable in a very healthy way.  Once they are ready you won’t need some fattening mixture of butter or mayonnaise to make it taste good and you’ll probably want a whole artichoke for yourself!  One thing I’ve noticed about how my Grandmother cooks is that she doesn’t waste anything.  Starting with that mentality, the first step would be to cut the stem off the artichoke so it sits level.  Don’t throw the stem away! Rather finely chop it and mix it with some garlic and extra virgin olive oil and set aside.  Be sure to cut the tips off of every leaf on the artichoke because they have thorns.  Continue cutting till you get to the center where you will find, what my Grandmother calls, the purple pokey stuff.  All of this should be carved out!  Once this is done you are ready for the stem mixture.  Put a little bit of the mixture in every leaf and then the remainder in the center of the artichoke.  Put the artichoke in a pan with a little layer of water at the bottom.  Then generously pour extra virgin olive oil over the artichoke and steam.  Steaming will take a long time!  If you have a pressure cooker the cooking time will go by much faster.  You know the artichoke is ready when you can easily pull a leaf off. 

Enjoy!

Flavor & Food Combinations

	Meat, Poultry, & Fish
Lamb	curry powder, garlic, rosemary, mint
Pork	garlic, onion, sage, pepper, oregano
Veal	bay leaf, curry powder, ginger, marjoram, oregano
Chicken	ginger, marjoram, oregano, paprika, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme
Fish	curry powder, dill, dry mustard, marjoram, paprika, pepper
Beef	bay leaf, marjoram, nutmeg, onion, pepper, sage, thyme

	Vegetables
Carrots:		cinnamon, cloves, dill, ginger, marjoram, nutmeg, rosemary, sage
Corn:		cumin, curry powder, onion, paprika, parsley
Green Beans:		dill, curry powder, marjoram, oregano, tarragon, thyme
Greens:		onion, pepper
Potatoes:		dill, garlic, onion, paprika, parsley, sage
Summer Squash:		cloves, curry powder, marjoram, nutmeg, rosemary, sage
Winter Squash:		cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, onion
Tomatoes:		basil, bay leaf, dill, marjoram, onion, oregano, parsley, pepper

Flavors associated with different cultures
Italian	Oregano
Mexican	Cilantro
Chinese	Ginger
French	Marjoram

More Information

American Spice Trade Association, www.astaspice.org

SpiceAdvice, www.spiceadvice.com

Penzeys Spices, www.penzeys.com

McCormick, www.mccormick.com

Herbs & Spices

Harvesting

·         Best time to harvest herbs is in the morning, after the dew has evaporated, before the sun warms their leaves

·         Handle gently!  Be sure to not bruise or injure the leaves & stems

o        distinctive oils that give herbs their aromas & flavors are volatile & can be destroyed if injured

·         Select just enough herbs to be used, dried or frozen, the same day

o        The flavor and aroma of herbs deteriorates quickly after picking

·         Herbs should look healthy, fresh and clean, without any type of discoloring

Storing

·         Store fresh herbs for only a few hours

o        keep in refrigerator in a perforated plastic bag

o        When ready to use, wash the herbs gently under cool, but not cold water and pat dry between paper towels.

·         Store dry herbs in tightly covered containers, in a dark place, & away from heat & moisture

·         Keep ground spices for no longer than 1 year & whole spices no longer than 2 years

·         Label container with purchase or storage date

Freezing

·         Easy way to store them for longer periods of time

·         Clean the herbs delicately, blot them dry, and remove leaves from the stalks

·         Pack whole or chopped herbs in freezer safe bags or airtight containers

·         Chopped herbs that are to be used in soups or stews can be spooned into an ice cube tray, covered with water, and frozen. When you are ready to use the herbs, just remove what you need from the tray and add to the pot.

Cooking

·         Dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh & powdered herbs are more concentrated than crumbled.

o         Each herb is slightly different but a starting formula is: 1/4 teaspoon powdered herbs is equaled to 3/4 to 1 teaspoon crumbled or the equivalent of 2 to 4 teaspoons fresh.

·         Start with small amounts, you can always add more!

·         Usually extended cooking times reduces the flavoring of herbs

o        Add fresh herbs to soups or stews about 45 minutes before completing the cooking time.

o        For refrigerated foods such as dips, cheese, vegetables and dressings, fresh herbs should be added several hours or overnight before using. Note: Fresh Basil is an exception. If you add it to salad dressing overnight or longer, it becomes bitter.

Tools to Help You Shop Healthier!

The first is shopwell.com.  This site works with registered dietitians to help you make better choices in the grocery store.   All you have to do is sign up with an email address and answer a few questions about yourself (height, age bracket, and sex).  From there the site will ask you a few more questions about allergies as well as food and health preferences and/or goals.  This site is great for people who have food intolerances or allergies because it will filter everything out that you can’t have and do the dirty work for you!  You can add items to your shopping list and the site will give these items a grade specific to you and your needs.  The site will also offer you chances to “trade up” and give you a few better or healthier options to choose from!  There are also coupon notices that you can print and bring to the store with you.  Yes! There is an app for that!  The shopping list isn’t available on the iphone app yet but hopefully soon!  You can sign into your account through the app and scan the bar code of the item you are looking at and it will give you the item’s grade and nutritional facts label.  This makes shopping for the healthier options a lot easier!  The website also allows you to email or share your shopping list with other people!

The other tool is similar to what the shopwell app does and it is called fooducate.  With fooducate you can also scan barcodes when you’re at the grocery store.  You get a letter grade for the product as well as notices like, “watch out! This product has 3 tbsp of sugar!).  There is also an option to compare the product against another product.  This option is also available through shopwell.  The difference between the two is that shopwell grades a product based on your demographics and needs that you e

ntered when you signed up and fooducate, while a great tool, does not grade the product based on personalized needs.  Both are wonderful tools to aid you in making healthier choices.  You can sign up for an account with either online at shopwell.com or fooducate.com and download their app through the app store.

Cheap, Easy & Quick Asparagus Fritatta

I learned how to cook this from my grandmother and love it!!  I made a few adjustments (life much less salt) and I thought I'd share with you!

when you cook asparagus for dinner you usually take the ends off and throw them away.  I now take the ends off and save them in the refrigerator for later.  I will either chop them up that night or chop them up the morning I use them.  If you chop them up that night, it's much easier and quicker the morning you make the fritatta. 

Simply scramble a few eggs together to cover the amount of asparagus and whatever else you want to add.  Usually I have some left over onions and I will chop those up and add them.  Season with a pinch of salt and some ground pepper and then add to your pan.  I will usually top it with a few shavings of parmesan cheese, cook until the egg is cooked all the way through and nice and fluffy. 

you are utilizing the whole food, saving money, and getting vegetables first thing in the morning!  Can't beat that!!

Eat Colorfully!

Is this year’s National Nutrition Month’s slogan.  As many of us know, it is easier said than done along with several other health tips.  So how can we attempt this recommendation?   First we need to know what all of the colors are.  There are 5: red, yellow or orange, purple or blue, white, and green.   This sounds like a lot but it can be done!  Think of a salad; you have green lettuce or spinach as well as purple lettuce called radicchio, add tomatoes, onions, carrots, and yellow bell peppers.  All the colors are represented right there in one meal.  If you don’t like salads let’s think of a sandwich; grilled eggplant, grilled zucchini, grilled orange bell peppers topped with some grilled white onions and a few dried apricots.  Perhaps you want an easier sandwich to make or one with some meat; two slices of whole grain bread with some chicken, both green lettuce and radicchio, tomato slices, white onion slices, and an orange. 

Getting all of your colors doesn’t have to be in one meal either, just as long as you get them all in the course of a day.  It may take some planning, but here is an example:

                Breakfast:  oatmeal with dried cranberries (red), cinnamon and a glass of non fat milk

                Snack:  non fat yogurt or cottage cheese with some blueberries (blue/purple)

                Lunch:  brown rice or quinoa mixed with grilled chicken, broccoli (green), mushrooms (white)

                Snack:  Carrot sticks (orange) and hummus

                Dinner:  baked halibut with asparagus (green) and baked sweet potato (orange)

Don’t forget to drink plenty of water though out your day.  For more information on colors and what fruits and vegetables fit into what color categories and why it is important to get a variety of colors you can read my blog entitled, “Eat the Rainbow” or utilize the following websites:

http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442462682

http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/fruits-vegetables.shtml

photo from: thekitchn.com