Fresh Veggies

OK, so maybe I'm a bit nerdy but I truly get excited on produce pick up days.  I belong to a Florida Fields to Forks co-op and every Thursday I pick up my produce share. This week's share included fresh organic kale, red-leaf lettuce, red chard, rainbow carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, pears, avocados, cauliflower, and mangos.  

It takes a few days to get through all of the produce so I try to make sure it is properly stored so it remains fresh.  I discovered a great trick to keep lettuce fresh for over a week (seriously!)  Just wash it, spin it dry and store it, wrapped in paper towels, in an airtight container.  A week later, you'll still have fresh lettuce - no that slimy, funky smelling stuff that it usually turns into after a week.

I travel next week, so I will cook most of these veggies over the weekend so my family can enjoy fresh side dishes in my absence.  More on that later...

Body Basics/Healthy Food: Seafood Stew

Food Basics: Quick & Easy Seafood Stew

Living in Florida, my children have been exposed to all sorts of seafood. They’ve eaten everything from octopus to rock shrimp and many things in between. Not surprisingly, one of their favorite dishes is seafood stew. I make it at least once a month from a surprisingly easy recipe. This meal would also be great for company. They will think you spent hours on it when actually it takes about thirty minutes to make. I got the recipe from and old issue of Cooking Light but usually improvise it to include whatever seafood is readily available. Here it is:

Ingredients

CROSTINI:

1 (1-pound) loaf French bread baguette, cut into 16 slices

1 tablespoon olive oil


CIOPPINO:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 cups clam juice

1 cup water

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 (26-ounce) bottle tomato-and-basil pasta sauce (such as Bertolli)

16 littleneck clams

16 small mussels, scrubbed and debearded

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 pound cod or other lean whitefish fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 cups torn spinach

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare crostini, place bread slices on a large baking sheet; brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

To prepare cioppino, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add crushed red pepper and garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in clam juice and next 5 ingredients (clam juice through pasta sauce.) Add clams and mussels. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until shells open. (Discard any unopened shells.) Add wine and next 4 ingredients (wine through shrimp); simmer 5 minutes or until fish and shrimp are done. Stir in spinach. Serve with the crostini.

Body Basics/Healthy Food: Veggies for lunch

I work from home so I don’t have the temptation of office snack or cafeteria food throughout the day. However, I have fallen victim to having no “lunch” food when it’s time for lunch. I feel like I waste time, gas, and money if I leave my house and go out to buy lunch (unless it involves girlfriends then that’s a different story). So, I’m always trying to come up with creative, non-sandwich options.

I am somewhat of a foodie so I like to feel satisfied with the flavors and textures of every meal. Yesterday, I dumped some organic brown rice in my rice cooker and stir-fried leftover raw veggies from a previous meal and created one of the best lunches ever! Veggies and rice might sound a little boring but that’s where seasoning comes in. I cooked the rice in coconut curry broth and stir fried the veggies with a little garlic and soy sauce. It tasted great and didn’t make me drowsy afterwards.