My favourite place on a warm sunny day is at the beach with family and friends. I grab my chair and umbrella, dig my bare feet into the sand and arm myself with good reading, sunscreen and a cooler full of treats. It seems that we never sit down to a meal, but rather snack all day.
What’s in my cooler, you ask? Well, I like to tantalize the family’s taste buds. To go along with the cheese and crackers, meat sticks, nuts and yogurt tubes, fresh fruit and vegetables grace our menu.
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We wait all year to taste crisp peas in a pod, juicy cherry tomatoes and sweet peaches, strawberries and blueberries. The best way to eat these treats is fresh and raw. And, yes, children even like them with a slight dusting of sand. Occasionally, I will send them to the saskatoon berry bushes that grow near the cottage. Mix these fruits with creamy vanilla ice cream, it is almost heaven.
So take advantage of summer’s “good for you fruits and veggies” and add them to salads, use with a favourite dip, grab them for a snack or try them in the following recipes.
Strawberry freshie
11/3 cups cranberry juice 325 mL
2/3 cup white grape juice 150 mL
9-10 fresh strawberries, divided 6 ice cubes
In a blender, combine the juices, six strawberries and ice. Cover and blend until frothy. Pour into glasses and serve, garnished with reserved berries. You can add some vodka to this beverage if you wish. Yields four servings.
Pizza dip
2 cups shredded mozzarella 500 mL
cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar 500 mL
cheese
1 cup mayonnaise 250 mL
1 cup chopped pepperoni 250 mL
1 can (10 oz.) mushrooms, 284 mL
drained, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion 125 mL
1/2 cup chopped green pepper 125 mL
1/2 cup ripe olives, drained 125 mL
and chopped
In a large bowl mix all ingredients. Transfer to a nine x 13 inch (22 x 34 cm) baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350 F (180 C) for 25-30 minutes or until edges are bubbly and lightly browned. Dip using crackers, breadsticks or bread of your choice.
Barbecued chicken salad
6-8 chicken breasts
1/2 cup Catalina salad 125 mL
dressing
2 teaspoons finely 10 mL
chopped garlic
2 teaspoons chili powder 10 mL
salt and pepper
1 medium onion
3 small tomatoes, chopped 8-10 cups salad greens 2-2.5 L
1/2 cup bacon bits 125 mL
1 cup shredded cheddar 250 mL
cheese
additional salad dressing to taste
Mix the chicken breasts with salad dressing, garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper. Marinate for at least 15 minutes. Discard marinade after use. Thinly slice onion and cook slowly with a bit of olive oil in a frying pan.
While onion is cooking, chop salad greens and spread on a large platter. Spread with chopped tomatoes, cooked onion, bacon bits and cheese. Barbecue chicken breasts, cut into slices and lay on the salad mixture. Serve. Use additional dressing for pouring over individual servings.
Peachy keen cake
1 cup butter, softened 250 mL
2 cups sugar 500 mL
6 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract 5 mL
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 mL
3 cups flour 750 mL
1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 mL
1/4 teaspoon salt 1 mL
1/2 cup sour cream 125 mL
2 cups diced peaches 500 mL
1 cup blueberries 250 mL
icing sugar
Mix butter and sugar until creamed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each one. Beat in the flavourings. Combine flour, soda and salt; add to batter alternating with sour cream. Fold in peaches and blueberries.
Pour into a greased fluted tube pan. Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the batter clean. Dust with icing sugar.
Add reading to your fitness
If you feel guilty while relaxing in your lounge chair, think again.
According to Dr. Andrew Weil, one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent memory loss is to read. Romance, history, mysteries, humour, science fiction – it doesn’t matter as long as you find the material intriguing. Research shows that the old saying “use it or lose it” applies to your mental power as much as to the rest of your body, and reading is a good mental workout. It exercises your imagination in ways that television and other media cannot. Other mental activities such as crossword puzzles, mind games and educational classes can all help keep your brain agile and strong as you age.
Aloe vera
As you drive past a local greenhouse, you might notice there are many sales as it winds down for the season. One useful item we could all use is an aloe plant. These gems are powerhouses for healing and great to keep on the kitchen windowsill. My children each have their own that they run to when they have an injury. The plant amazingly takes their pain away, almost every time.
The gel that fills the thick leaves of this plant is a superior home remedy for thermal burns, sunburns and for treating any areas of skin irritation or inflammation.
Commercial products made from aloe are available, but keeping an aloe plant in your kitchen is a good option.
Trans fat review
Trans fat hit the news last fall. Since then we have had several letters that express concerns about how to avoid the fats and where to buy products that do not contain them.
Trans fats, also known as trans fatty acids, form when liquid oil is changed into a solid fat, for example when a vegetable oil is made into margarine or shortening. The term used for this process is hydrogenation. There is accumulating evidence to show that our bodies treat trans fat as if it was saturated fat. It increases the bad LDL cholesterol in the blood. Many think that the current dietary level of trans fat is partly associated with such chronic diseases as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity.
Researchers also think that trans fat may have a negative effect on our immune function, reproduction and lactation.
The best way to avoid these fats is to read the labels of processed foods and avoid those containing partially hydrogenated oils of any kind.
Since the reports came out last fall, there are many new items in the stores that do not contain trans fats. Companies are listening to the needs of consumers and offering alternatives. This means that we do not have to go to specialty stores, but rather there are food items in our local grocery stores. I have been able to find a few brands of crackers, cookies and baby food that do not contain this unhealthy fat. The bottom line is, we just have to take some time to read the ingredient lists.
Other foods free of trans fats but containing high levels of saturated fat are also a problem. In fact, Canadians eat far more saturated fat than trans fat. The bottom line – both fats should be limited.
Jodie Mirosovsky is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
