Culinary yoU: Fruit

Showing posts with label Fruit. Show all posts

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Berries: Natures Superfoods

This article was originally part of my article on our favorite morning smoothie recipes, but once that article hit six pages in length I decided that the health benefits of eating berries and why they should be incorporated into your LCHF / Keto eating regimen needed it's own article, and rightly so. Berries contain large amounts of healthy vitamins and antioxidants in a small package making them an important super food that everyone should have in their diet. According to the American Institute of Cancer Research (AICR) “When it comes to cancer prevention, berries are among the more diverse and powerful members of the fruit family. AICR’s expert report and its updates show that eating a diet high in fruit reduces the risk of cancers of the esophagus, lung, stomach, mouth, pharynx and larynx.”

While there are a lot of different berry options available to American consumers, I have listed in this article the most common types of berries one would find in their local supermarket. Yes, there are some berries that have been left out of this article, but these are our favorites and that ones that are easiest to acquire for most consumers. We are fortunate that we grow our own blackberries (which we freeze) and a small amount of strawberries on our homestead, but we purchase frozen blueberries and some strawberries from our local supermarket to go into our smoothies. While I am sure that fresh berries are a better option, frozen berries are quite a bit more convenient. Having said that if you get the opportunity to purchase fresh berries on sale, you can freeze them yourself to keep them increase their shelf life.

Blackberries

Blackberries are high in vitamins A, B9 (folate), C, E, K, manganese, and ellagic acids. In addition, they have high levels of the soluble fiber which has been linked in many studies to lower cholesterol. According to studies performed at Ohio State University, blackberries contain powerful antioxidant (polyphenol) that may lower your risk for cardiovascular disease as well as cancer fighting compounds that may reduce the risks of certain types of cancer.

1 cup – Calories 62, 6 net carbs

¾ cup – Calories 46.5, 4.5 net carbs

½ cup – Calories 31, 3 net carbs

¼ cup – Calories 15.5, 1.5 net carbs

Blueberries

Like blackberries, blueberries contain not only powerful antioxidants, but high amounts of phyonutrients that work to neutralize free radial tissue damage as well as being an excellent source of vitamins C, K, and dietary fiber. According to research from Tufts University, blueberries rank at the top of the list when it comes to their antioxidant capabilities when compared to other berries. The AICR states, “We now know that blueberries are one of the best sources of antioxidants, substances that can slow the aging process and reduce cell damage that can lead to cancer.” Blueberries also contain flavonoids (anthocyanins) that make the arteries more elastic which lower blood pressure, and may prevent plaque buildup.

1 cup – Calories 85, 17 net carbs

¾ cup – Calories 63.75, 12.75 net carbs

½ cup – Calories 42.5, 8.5 net carbs

¼ cup – Calories 21.25, 4.25 net carbs

Raspberries

Like Blackberries, raspberries are high in vitamins B9, C, E, manganese, magnesium, and dietary fiber as well as polyphenols that help to reduce cardiovascular disease. In fact, ½ cup a a day will supply you with 25% of your recommended intake of both vitamin C and manganese. “The high polyphenol content of raspberries may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by preventing platelet buildup and reducing blood pressure via anti-inflammatory mechanism” (Ware, 2016). Many sources also suggest that the same polyphenols that protect against heart disease may also slow the growth of esophageal, lung, mouth, pharynx, endometrial, pancreatic, prostate, and colon cancers.

1 cup – Calories 65, 7 net carbs

¾ cup – Calories 48.75, 5.25 net carbs

½ cup – Calories 32.5, 3.5 net carbs

¼ cup – Calories 16.25, 1.75 net carbs

Strawberries

Strawberries contain high levels of vitamins B6, B9, C, E, K, and manganese as well ellagic acid, and are a good source of dietary fiber. Current research suggest that ellagic acid uses a variety of approaches to slow the reproduction of cancer cells by not only acting as an antioxidant, but by deactivating specific carcinogens that may cause cancer. Studies conducted at Cornell University “demonstrated that strawberries stopped the proliferation of HepG(2) liver cancer cells. Another study showed that a substance found in the berry called isothiocyanate inhibited esophageal cancer” (Edward, 2015). In addition, strawberries like blueberries contain flavonoids (anthocyanins) that make the arteries more elastic which lower blood pressure. Like raspberries, the high levels of polyphenols in strawberries may reduce the risk of plaque buildup in the arteries.

1 cup – Calories 54, 10 net carbs

¾ cup – Calories 40.5, 7.5 net carbs

½ cup – Calories 27, 5 net carbs

¼ cup – Calories 13.5, 2.5 net carbs

Conclusion

As you can see berries should be an integral part of your LCHF and Keto eating regimen, although they should be consumed in moderation, especially if you are on a strict (< 20 grams of carbohydrates per day) LCHF / Keto regimen. While berries have many great properties, the one caveat of course is that some berries are higher in carbohydrates than others due to their natural sugar content. Blueberries for example are rated the highest in their vitamin and antioxidant properties, but they also contain the most carbohydrates at 17 net carbs per cup, while blackberries contain the least amount with only 6 net carbs per cup.

According to the Diet Doctor website, a recommended serving size for berries by 100 grams or 3.5 ounces by weight, which comes out the be about ¾ cup when using a measuring cup. Many people eat their berries with whipped cream (made with heavy whipping cream and sweetener), but we eat our berries almost exclusively in our morning smoothies, which of course is where this originally article evolved from. As always, I hope that you have found this article informative and beneficial for you and your family, if so please take the time to share it with your friends so that they can benefit as well. Don't forget to follow us on out Facebook Page 'CulinaryYouLCHF' or add us to your circle Google+.

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Watermelon Rind Pickles

Well the 4^th of July holiday has come and gone, and guess what watermelon was on sale. As we were unable to get together for the holiday weekend we bought a couple of seedless watermelon's and threw them in the fridge for a few days as some of our family was coming this weekend. I confess, we do not buy watermelon often, and I was out of watermelon pickles so I decided to kill two birds with one stone so to speak and make watermelon pickles.

I will say this, of all the pickle type recipes, this one probably has the most prep, but the sweet, candied fruit pickles that you get from the rind that most people simply throw away is quite delicious. Now I won't claim that this is an old southern recipe as my grandmother used to make them on the farm in Missouri and her's were simply heaven. Having said that, this is not her recipe, I wish it was, but to be honest my father's mother never taught me anything about canning. It's a shame really as they canned just about anything you could think of back on the old home place, and she was quite good at it.

Anyway, I was left to try and develop my own version of this old fashioned family favorite. After trying several different variations, I took components from several recipes and fine tuned it to meet my specific needs. I must say that I am quite happy this watermelon pickle recipe. I generally make two small batches some with the red hot candies (which both my wife and I like) and some without. If you have never made watermelon pickles before, I hope you will give this recipe a try, I am sure you will enjoy it.

The Recipe (Yield 14 pints)

Rind from two medium to large sized watermelons

9 cups of granulated sugar

4 quarts of water

4 quarts vinegar (5% acidity)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon whole cloves

1 3-inch piece of cinnamon

1 (5.5 ounce) bag of Red Hots cinnamon flavored candy (optional)

Make the brine and set in the refrigerator (see recipe below)

Remove the meat of the watermelon and place in plastic bowls for eating later. Make sure you remove as much of the meat as possible, however you do not have to scrape the rind down to the white part, some red is all right. Then slice the watermelon rind into 1-inch strips and peel the skin off with a potato peeler or small paring knife.

Once you have the watermelon rind peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes, or you could leave it as spears, but personally I think the cubes work best. Once you have all the rind cubed add it to the stockpot with the brine and then cover the top of the rind with ice (about 2 quarts) and place in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

After 4 hours or when you are ready (not longer than 12 hours). Combine the 4 quarts of vinegar and water along with the 9 cups of sugar and the lemon juice in a large stockpot and place it on high heat. While the syrup mixture is heating combine the cloves, and cinnamon in a small piece of cheesecloth to make a spice bag (sachet) and add it to the stockpot with the syrup solution. Bring the syrup to a boil and cook for ten minutes. Then reduce the heat just to simmer to keep the syrup warm. Remove the spice bag at this time, or if you like a stronger cinnamon clove flavor leave it in. At this time it is also a good idea to fill your water bath canner with water and get it heating. You do not what to waiting on a cold water bath canner once you rind is ready to be canned.

Remove the watermelon rind from the refrigerator and drain and rinse the thoroughly. Then after rinsing your stockpot, place the rinds back in the stockpot and cover with water and bring to a boil and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes. At this point the rind will be fork tender and just beginning to turn transparent. I personally like my rind to be just beginning to turn transparent when I remove it from the heat and start canning it as it will continue to cook from the residual heat of the water in the stockpot. Many recipes however tell you to cook the rind until it is totally transparent, but remember it will continue to cook some in the water bath canner so do not overcook the rind.

While the rind is cooking take your clean jars and add 3 cloves to each jar and 8 red hot cinnamon flavored candies (if your are using them) to each jar. Don't forget to heat your lids and bands and have them ready so that you can put the rind in the jars as soon as it is cooked. When the rind is ready fill your pint jars with the cooked rind and ladle the hot syrup into the jars leaving ½-inch of headspace. Remove any bubbles, adjust the two-piece lids and process in your 10 minutes in your boiling water bath canner.

The Brine

3 Quarts of water

¾ cup of salt

Combine 3 quarts of water and ¾ cup of salt in a large stockpot and stir until dissolved and place in the refrigerator to cool. You can make the brine overnight and allow to cool if you wish.

Conclusion

Of all the fruit pickle recipes, watermelon rind pickles are my favorite. It still amazes me that something like the rind of a watermelon when made into a fruit pickle using this recipe has the texture similar to that of canned apples or pears. In fact my first memory of eating these pickles in my grandmother's kitchen was that of eating canned apples. For just a little of your time and some basic ingredients that just about everyone has in their pantry you can make a delicious old fashioned fruit pickle recipe that is enjoyed by all generations. As always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

BlackBerry Cobbler

Two years ago we planted four Kiowa Blackberry bushes along the fence row in the garden here on the homestead. This year we harvested over 2 gallons of blackberries and well as transplanting fourteen new plants from our original four mother plants. These blackberries are huge, some as large as my thumb, they are juicy and somewhat tart when eaten alone, but they make great jellies, pies and cobblers.

If you read my article on 'Rabbit Salad' then you know that a few weeks ago we celebrated a couple of birthdays with or dear friends. While they provided most of the cold buffet and all of the hospitality, we brought the 'Rabbit Salad' (chicken salad made with rabbit) and I made this Blackberry Cobbler because it is one of Sue's favorites. These berries were picked fresh this summer and frozen in one gallon zip lock bags so if you do not have access to fresh blackberries, the frozen ones you find in your local supermarket will work just as well.

Blackberry Cobbler

3 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)

1 ¼ cups sugar

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup milk

1 stick butter (melted)

Melt butter in a microwavable dish.

Combine 1 cup of the sugar and flour into a mixing bowl and mix throughly, then add the milk and stir with a large spoon or whisking making a thin batter. Then add the melted butter and stir again until well combined. Chef's Note: I do not keep self rising flour in my pantry, but I made my own by adding 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of flour.

Spray a 10-inch square corning ware baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or rub the sides and bottom with a stick of butter to prevent the cobbler from sticking. If you do not have a 10-inch baking dish, a 8 or 9-inch glass pie plate or corning ware dish will work as well. If you use a bigger baking dish your cobbler may be too thin and could burn. Rinse the blackberries in a colander and pat dry. Then remove two cups of the berries and place them in your baking dish and add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and mix together.

Spread the sugared blackberries evenly as possible over the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the batter over the blackberries in the baking dish, then the remaining cup of blackberries and evenly distribute them over the top of the batter slightly pushing them into the batter. Next, spread the remaining sugar evenly over the top of the batter.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. If you desire, sprinkle an additional one to two teaspoons of sugar over the cobbler 10 minutes before it’s done.

Conclusion

Blackberry cobbler is great served hot with vanilla ice cream. In this case we had to re-heat it and then serve it with ice cream, but it was still fantastic. This recipe is quick, easy and tastes delicious. There is not really much more you can say about it. You may note that this recipe is similar to the 'Pear Cobbler' that I posted in an earlier article. The batter is the same, but the fruit is treated a little different. This recipe is better for small berries such as blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries or a combination of the three. If you have larger fruit such as pears, apples, or peaches then follow the instructions for my pear cobbler.

As always, I hope you and your family will enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Additional Resources

Pear Cobbler

Monday, September 14, 2015

Pear Cobbler

We have a couple of pear trees on my mother-in-laws property and a couple of years ago I canned a few quarts, and made about 12 gallons of pear wine. No one is quite sure of the variety of the pear, they look like Bosc pears but even when they are ripe, they are quite firm of flesh. They are what my grandmother used to call canning pears. So that is what I do with them most of the time. The one thing they do excel at, other than making pear wine, is make exceptional pear cobbler. So today I wanted to share with you my cobbler recipe.

If you do not like pears, simply substitute peaches or apples. This recipe is fast and easy, it is a batter style cobbler that when baked becomes golden brown with a crunchy top (due to the sprinkled sugar). Anyway, I saure both you and your family will love it, mine does!

Pear Cobbler

1 quart (32oz) canned pears or one 29oz can fruit for the grocery store.

1 ¼ cups Sugar

1 cup Self-Rising Flour *

1 cup Milk

¼ cup pecans

¼ cup raisins

1 stick Butter

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

* Chef's Note: Grandma used to use self rising flour in her recipe, but I do not generally keep it in my pantry. You can do like I did and make your own self rising flour by combining 1 cup AP flour, with 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Melt butter in a microwavable dish.

Combine 1 cup of the sugar and flour into a mixing bowl and mix throughly, then add the milk and stir with a spoon or whisking making a thin batter. Then add the melted butter and stir again until well combined.

Spray a square baking dish (8”x8”) with non-stick cooking spray, then drain the canned pears in a colander and add them to the baking dish. Take 2 tablespoons from the remaining sugar and combined with the cinnamon. Add he sugar and cinnamon mixture to the pears and mix throughly. Add the pecans and raisins and mix again.

Pour the batter over the pears in the baking dish, and sprinkle a few pecans and extra raisins on top of the batter, then spread the remaining sugar evenly over the top of the batter.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. If you desire, sprinkle an additional teaspoon of sugar over the cobbler 10 minutes before it’s done.

Conclusion

The only way I like to eat pears is either baked in a pie or cobbler. They lose their grainy texture when baked and I am a big texture eater. When baked in this cobbler the texture and taste is very similar to an apple, and who wouldn't like apple cobbler. The great this about this recipe is that it can be used with just about any fruit, but it is especially great with peaches. My blackberry cobbler uses the same batter and technique, but is slightly different, and I will be posting it soon.

I hope you will take the time to make a peach, apple, blackberry or even a pear cobbler for your family, but don't forget the ice cream! And as always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us on friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.