Health of The Month

If you enjoy making fruit salads as part of your summer fare during picnics and family get-togethers, you’re going to love the suggestions we have for you here. Knowing how to combine  the right blend of fruits in a salad, either alone or with other ingredients, is the first step to creating fruit salads that impress and delight your guests.

Combine Ingredients that Compliment

Certain fruits are better candidates for a combination of greens and fruit salad, but that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment a little to find new flavors you enjoy. Summer melons like honeydew and cantaloupe are always good, but a number of different fruits and berries are equally compatible with some basic greens such as romaine lettuce or other mixed varieties. Consider adding, for instance, grapefruit segments to add zip and zing to an otherwise traditional spinach salad. It’s all about the flavors playing off each other.

If it’s just fruit in the salad you’re making, the sky’s the limit as to what you might combine for a delicious treat with your meals. Lots of different berries are in season in the warmer months, so consider adding two or three different varieties to a more basic fruit salad made with bananas, apples, and grapes. A little splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice will help keep everything fresh.

Stick with a light dressing, like a vinaigrette that’s not too strong or too sweet. This will allow the tartness and sweetness of the strawberries, mango, peaches, cranberries, or whatever you use to come through in the salad. And, don’t forget the texture. Adding some roasted almonds adds a bit of crunch and depth in flavor to this type of salad creation. The salty flavor of the nuts also compliment the sweetness of the fruit. Using opposing flavors will often ‘marry’ the ingredients together, creating a perfectly blended compliment of flavors.

Many people eat foods with too much solid fats, added sugars, and salt (sodium). Added sugars and fats load foods with extra calories you don’t need. Too much sodium may increase your blood pressure.

Choose foods and drinks with little or no added sugars.

• Drink water instead of sugary drinks. There are about 10 packets of sugar in a 12-ounce can of soda.

• Select fruit for dessert. Eat sugary desserts less often.

• Choose 100% fruit juice instead of fruit-flavored drinks.

Look out for salt (sodium) in foods you buy— it all adds up.

• Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals—and choose the foods with lower numbers.

• Add spices or herbs to season food without adding salt.

• Select lean cuts of meats or poultry and fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese.

• Switch from solid fats to oils when preparing food.

Eat fewer foods that are high in solid fats. Below are some great examples of solid fats and oils;

Beef, pork, and chicken fat Butter, cream, and milk fat Coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils Hydrogenated oil Partially hydrogenated oil Shortening Stick margarine

Canola oil Corn oil Cottonseed oil Olive oil Peanut oil Safflower oil Sunflower oil Tub (soft) margarine Vegetable oil

Drying your own herbs is a great way to maintain a healthy diet.  Herbs are a healthy way to add flavor to any dish and save some money.  Here’s a few tips and pointers to drying your own herbs at home.

Fresh herbs have a benefit over the dried ones you buy in the store. If you have a sunny spot and some good soil, you can grow your own herbs at home. Choose the ones that you use most to season food and grow them in small planters.

When growing herbs, treat them like any other plant. Pruning and cutting back the leaves brings even more leaves. As you cut and use fresh basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme, they will continue to grow. In fact, the herbs may grow faster than you can use them, so share some with friends and neighbors.

Another alternative to letting the extra go to waste is to dry your fresh herbs. Dried fresh herbs lose their moisture, but still retain the entire flavor of a fresh plant. You’ll now have herbs to last for months to come and you can pass them on to others once they are dried as well.

Begin with your equipment. You’ll need a place to dry them. You can use wooden or wire racks. That cooling rack you use in the kitchen for cookies and cakes would be perfect for drying herbs. Gather together a colander, some cheesecloth, paper towels, and some string.

All herbs to be dried should be washed and rinsed in cold water. A colander is perfect because the water can drain out the bottom. Use paper towels to pat each leaf and stalk until dry of any visible moisture.

Herbs can be dried in many ways. If you only want the leaves, remove the stalk and lay the leaves on a drying rack. Depending on the size of the leaves, you may need a wire rack for them as opposed to a cooling rack from the kitchen.

Herbs can also be dried in bunches. Tie them with string at the stalks and hang them upside down on a nail to air dry. This can be accomplished outside or indoors, but should be done in an area that is ventilated with no humidity. Humidity will help your herbs to retain their moisture and prevent drying. Use cheesecloth to cover herbs on a cooling rack if you plan on letting them dry outside.

Use the oven for faster drying. The temperature should remain low (around 120 degrees). Gently touch the leaves every half hour to test for dryness. The microwave oven is an alternative, but you will have to be careful not to shrivel them up.

Dried herbs will keep for a six months. After that, the flavor begins to wane. Herbs should be stored in Mason jars or plastic containers, just be sure to label them so you know which herb is which. In order to keep the herbs dry and avoid molding during storage, seal the containers air tight.

Herbs season food in many unique and yummy ways. Drying herbs allows you to savor the flavor while saving money and having fun all at once.