Set me loose at the Belleville Flea Market and I’ll skeedaddle straight for the vintage paper, photos, postcards and print ephemera. I especially like vintage fruit crate labels, so imagine my delight when the wonderful image below landed in my inbox from Dover Publications.
Trout brand quality boxed apples from Chelan, Washington. Imagine. Apples. Not what I think of when I hear the word 'trout' exactly. Quicksilver sleek trout have little to do with pudgy red apples, but oh, the graphics.
What a treat, coming on the heels of a What’s Cooking article featuring the real deal. Here’s a link to the article. Click on the link in ‘related stories’ for Liz Fathman and Paul Dever’s recipe for trout with watercress. Yum. Delicious and dietary. Dinner, anyone?
Tasty, and so good for you. Alice's recipes perk up my meals each week . . . Pat
Yield: 4 servings; 2 cups each serving
Adapted by Alice Foster, R.D. for Foodie Friday, from a recipe at EatingWell.com
"I never thought I would love this chili as much as I do and I can feel good about it, too. Sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamins A and C. The beans are a powerhouse of protein, vitamins and minerals. Your belly and you body will thank you for trying this one.” Alice Foster
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (see tester’s note to eliminate oil)
1 large onion, diced (match the size of the dice to approximate size of beans for onions and sweet potato)
1 medium large sweet potato, peeled and diced
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced fine
2 tablespoons chili powder
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile (see tester’s notes)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups water
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained or 4 cups cooked black beans
1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
4 teaspoons lime juice
1 fresh lime, quartered (optional)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and sweet potatoes and cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to soften and turn translucent, about 4 minutes.
Add minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle and salt. Stir constantly for 30 seconds.
Add water and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add beans, tomatoes and lime juice. Increase heat to high and return to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until the liquid reduces slightly, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Serve with lime wedges if desired.
Tester’s notes:
Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapenos. The flavor is slightly sweet and smoky. They are sold dried, ground, or canned whole in adobo sauce. You may substitute a canned chipotle, finely chopped, for the ground for a fuller, somewhat hotter flavor.
If you are cutting fat, heat 1/4 cup of water or vegetable stock in the pot, then add sweet potatoes and onions.
Per serving using original recipe: 307 calories. 8 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 51g carbohydrates, 12gprotein, 14g fiber, 494mg sodium
Note: To lower the sodium content, use dried beans, cooked or choose a low-sodium brand of canned black beans.
Make this super-easy fruity salsa to scoop up with tortillas or serve with fish, chicken or pork. The flavor, color and texture makes you forget this salsa's good for you. I love the contrast of the blue chips with the yellows and oranges, too.
I divvy up occasional treats like Frontera's blue corn chips and Snyder's whole grain twists into single-serving packets to stave off mindless munching. Crunchy, salty snacks speak to me, so I make sure the conversation goes my way. I'm happier getting healthier each day while I munch on great treats like this mango salsa with chips.
Mango-Pineapple Salsa
Yield: 2 to 2-1/2 cups
1 large mango, ripe but somewhat firm
1 cup diced (1/4-inch dice) fresh pineapple
1 large fresh jalapeno pepper
1 orange small bell pepper
1 red small bell pepper
1/2 medium red onion
Cut and dice mango into 1/4-inch pieces. Mix together with diced fresh pineapple.
Remove stem and seeds from the jalapeno. When handling hot peppers, wear gloves and refrain from touching your eyes. Mince into fine pieces.
Stem and remove seeds from bell peppers. Cut into a 1/4-inch dice. Dice red onion to match.
Combine jalapeno, bell peppers and red onion with the pineapple-mango mix. Allow flavors to blend for three to four hours before serving.
Serve with corn chips, pita chips, or with grilled chicken or fish.
Try Grillin’ Fools take on grilled salmon with mango salsa, from Feast Magazine and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, two publications I write for each month. Here’s the link to this recipe.
Pineapple-Mango Salsa. Photo copyright 2012, Pat Eby
Don’t be fooled by the sweet flavor, lush texture and sunny colors of these tropical beauties. More than just a pretty taste, mangoes provide powerful nutrition. One serving, a cup of diced mango, registers 100 calories and provides 100-percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C, 30-percent of vitamin A and 12-percent of fiber. With nearly 20 vitamins and minerals to boot, mangoes make a nutrient-dense snack or side dish.
Although mangoes are the most popular fruit in the world, fruit-lovers in the United States haven’t fully embraced them yet. Mango consumption in the U.S. quadrupled from half-pound per capita in 1990 to just over two-pounds today. It’s a small number, though, compared to the 27 pounds of bananas and 21 pounds of fresh apples we Americans down each year.
A study by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization [FAO] released in 2008 found mangoes bewilder Americans. The FAO works to increase incomes and food security for farmers throughout the world. More exports of the tropical mango would put money in farmers’ pockets. The report stated: Key reasons for consumers not to buy mangoes are unfamiliarity with the fruit or lack of knowledge as to how to select a ripe mango or cut and prepare the fruits.
Enter the National Mango Board. They breezed into St. Louis in May, 2011 with a well-planned culinary challenge for two local chefs, Josh Galliano of Monarch restaurant and Nick Miller of Harvest: incorporate mango goodness into dishes with a regional flair.
The fanfare of the cook-off was fun and the food delicious. More importantly, the event taught me how to choose and use mangoes. They’ve livened up my snacks and brightened my meals ever since.
Mangoes, available year-round, sell best spring through summer. Five varieties you’ll likely find in stores:
Haden--Grown in Mexico, Ecuador and Peru, these mangoes sport an overlay of white dots on skins a combination of green, yellow and red. The tart, peach-like flavor and firm flesh make them a good choice for salads and salsas.
Tommy Atkins--Orange-yellow skins accented with green and blushed deeply red look beautiful and taste mildly sweet. Grown in Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru and Mexico.
Ataulfo--A solidly vibrant orange-yellow skin covers a smooth, silky mango flesh. Spicy, sweet and tart, these mangoes grown in Mexico, Ecuador and Guatemala.
Kent--Kents often retain a green color when fully ripe, but you’ll find them yellow, blushed red with yellow dots as well. The flesh is deep orange and tastes exceptionally rich and sweet. From Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru and Mexico to your grocery.
Keitt--Grown in Puerto Rico, the United States and Mexico, these mangos can be still green and fully ripe, but the skin is often accented with red. The flesh is mild, sweet and tropical.
When choosing a mango . . .
Don’t rely on color. Colors vary from solidly deep yellow through green, green blushed red, to deeply red. A ripe mango has a slight give and is soft to the touch. For salads, salsas and slaws, choose a firmer mango. Soft mangos make great smoothies and puddings.
Mangoes ripen at room temperature. Don’t store unripe mangoes in the refrigerator. Once ripened, they’ll keep for up to five days in the fridge.
Lush, silky and sweet mangoes partner perfectly with tart yogurt to wake up a winter-weary breakfast. Top with a single green grape to make it look pretty. Add a brown rice cake smeared with a tablespoon of peanut butter, then dot with raisins and you’ve got breakfast. Serve everything on beautiful dishes and enjoy.
Note: Layer diced mango and yogurt. Begin with half of the yogurt, top with half of the diced mango and repeat. Use a clear, small dish to see the layers. (1/2 cup diced mango and 1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt}
We eat with our eyes first. Make sure your food looks as good as it tastes. Use pretty dishes. Goodwill, thrift shops and estate sales are great places to pick up the odd, just-right and beautiful dish. For hand-painted plates like this one, shoose foods that won't make utensil scrapes. Hand wash them, too.
