Trying new foods is always fun for me, I like to see what the outcome of putting a recipe together will bring. What will I use to flavor it, will I try it again, was it good, did my family like it? A lot of questions and some hesitation go into making a new dish. One, the cost could be a factor, and two, I don't want to waste food or have to throw it out, so from the start - IT HAS TO BE GOOD! I buy alot of fresh foods these days, it's better for you, but that means a couple of trips to the grocery store each week, but that's OK with me because I know I am eating better and so is my family.
On my second trip to the grocery store this week I picked up some avocados. Avocados are actually a fruit not a vegetable, like the tomato. We eat quite a few of these over the week. Check the freshness by the stem, the one on the left is from last week, the stem is brown and dried out, it's still good but not as fresh as the one on the right. They should be kind of soft to the touch but not mushy. I use them in salads, sandwiches and homemade guacamole. Spice them up with garlic, lime and salt and pepper. A 1 ounce serving has 50 calories and is packed with close to 20 vitamins and minerals.
These cute little onion looking things are shallots, and I use lots of these in cooking. Shallots have the milder taste of sweet onion with a hint of garlic. I use them because they are smaller that an onion, so I don't have to cut a big onion. Shallots don't have that overpowering taste that onions sometimes have. I use them in sauces, fry them crispy to top a steak, in soups and salad dressings.
The sweet potato - these are so much better for you than white potatoes. They cook up creamy and have a sweet flavor. Sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbs, fiber, and beta carotene. I mash them, oven fry them or make casseroles out of them. No matter how you prepare sweet potatoes they will not disappoint, make the switch today.
Fennel - This is kind of a new addition into my cooking. The flavor of fennel is a very mild licorice taste, it's not strong, just a hint, so don't shy away from it. I use it in sauces, soups and raw in salads. I reserve some of the fronds and use them also. The bulb, fronds and seeds are used in a wide variety of food dishes. I make a salad from spring greens, sliced oranges, cucumber and sliced almonds. Then make a dressing of OJ, olive oil, some brown sugar, salt, pepper, a little cumin and snipped fronds, then pour over the salad - Good!
Summer is here and what veggie runs rampant - ZUCCHINI and lots of it. We love zucchini, I don't peel it when I grill it, roast it, use it in baking, soups or make ratatouille. Leave the skin on it's good for you.
And last but not least - The fresh sweet basil, nothing says summer like this herb, it's my favorite. Sweet basil is so fragrant. I have a huge plant in my front garden that I pick from a couple of times a week. I wash it, wrap in a paper towel, put in a resealable bag and keep in the refrigerator. I use sweet basil in many dishes, not just Italian dishes. It is very delicate, so if you are using it to cook with add at the very end so it keeps it color, otherwise it will turn black and does not look very pretty.
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