Blogging from A to Z Challenge - Z

The Blogging from A to Z Challenge ends today with the letter Z. I hope you've enjoyed my month of posts. We'll be getting back to a more normal schedule tomorrow.

I have to admit I like my zucchini in a less than healthy way--fried or in bread. I do, however, eat it as a side dish from time to time.  According to Eat This!, there are several benefits to eating zucchini. The dietary fiber helps lower cholesterol and prevent carcinogens from settling in the colon. Zucchini is a good source of vitamins A and C, which are antioxidants that can help fight certain cancers and also act as an anti-inflammatory. The magnesium and potassium found in zucchini can help prevent heart attack and stroke, and also help lower blood pressure.

The first year I put in a vegetable garden, I picked up a cookbook on canning and preserving--something I had never done before in my life. American Country Living Canning and Preserving: Techniques, Recipes, Uses, And More by Linda Ferrari has a great recipe for zucchini pickles. I never thought of making pickles like this, but they sound yummy.

• 6 cups sliced green zucchini
• 6 cups sliced yellow zucchini
• 2 large onions
• 1 each yellow, red, and green peppers
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 cups water
• 4 cups vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mustard seed
• 2 tablespoons celery seed
• 2 teaspoons turmeric

Wash and cut vegetables. Slice onions thin and make the zucchini about 1/2 inch thick. Cover zucchini, onion, and peppers with water to which salt has been added. Let stand 2 hours. Drain and rinse vegetables. Combine the sugar, water, vinegar, and spices and bring to a boil. When it boils add the vegetables and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Pack vegetables into hot jars and fill with the hot liquid, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Release air bubbles, clean rims, and seal. Process in water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Makes 6 to 7 pints.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - Y

Yams, or sweet potatoes as many call them, are in season from October through December. According to The World's Healthiest Foods, they are about 200 different varieties of yams.

Yams are said to protect against cardiovascular disease, because they contain vitamin B6. They are also a good source of potassium. Some believe wild yam can be a natural alternative to hormonal replacement for menopausal women.

My daughter-in-law usually makes yams if she and my son are here for Thanksgiving dinner. Here's a recipe for a sweet potato casserole I found at allrecipes.com.

Prep time: 10 min
Bake time:  35 min

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened 1 (40 ounce) can cut yams, drained
1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce, drained
1 cup mini marshmallows

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Mix the flour, brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon together in a bowl; cut the butter into the mixture until crumbled.
3. Combine the yams and cranberries in a larger bowl. Stir 1 cup of the flour mixture into the yams and cranberries; pour the mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish and top with the remaining flour mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes; top with the marshmallows and return to the oven until the marshmallows are browned, about 10 minutes more.

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. This challenge ends on Monday. It's been fun. I hope you're enjoying it.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - X

Did you know these existed? I didn't until today. According to recipetips.com, this very hot yellow chile adds flavor to food or can be used as a garnish.

Peppers are rich in vitamins A, C and K. The World's Healthiest Foods says the "fire" in chili peppers comes from capsaicin, which "is being studied as an effective treatment for sensory nerve fiber disorders, including pain associated with arthritis, psoriasis, and diabetic neuropathy." Capsaicin is also said to help clear mucus from your nose and lungs, boost immunity, and can help prevent ulcers. According to this article I found on About.com, capsaicin also helps to keep food from spoiling. Food cooked with chiles is said to last longer. Hmmm....

Now, I love peppers, but I decide not to grow them this year because I am the only one in the house who eats them. I might do it next year if this year's harvest is good.

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. Only two days left!

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - W

We're coming ever close to the end of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. Today we're talking about another one of my favorite fruits--watermelon.

It just wouldn't be a summertime New England picnic without this great fruit. Coming in various shapes and sizes, sliced or chunked, you can't beat the taste of a ripened watermelon; though they can be a bit messy.

We're growing watermelon in the garden this year. Pumpkins were tough to grow, but that was in my normal bed, so we'll see if the raised beds make any difference. We also planted another member of the Cucurbitaceae family, squash.

According to The World's Healthiest Foods, watermelon is a good source of vitamins A and C. The vitamin C and beta-carotene found in this sweet fruit can be helpful in reducing heart disease, the risk of colon cancer, and the "airway spasm that occurs in asthma." It's also known to alleviate some of the symptoms of osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Lacking energy lately? Watermelon is also a good source of vitamin B, which is tied to energy production.

One of the best creations after seedless grapes has to be the seedless watermelon. Our family loves them. We often bring one to summertime potlucks at church or picnics. When the grocery store starts carrying watermelons and corn on the cob, I know summer can't be too far away.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - V

I was looking at a soft path project from my Garden Club newsletter from The Home Depot today, and it got me to thinking about vinegar. It seems there is no more versatile product out there than vinegar. We use it to ward off mosquitoes in the backyard. I cook with it. I've cleaned with it. I also learned today that it can help kill weeds.

According to the TLC Cooking website, little research has been performed to substantiate all the claims made about vinegar's health benefits. What they did say is that there is evidence to support that vinegar plays a role in helping to fight diseases such as osteoporosis, diabetes, and heart disease when combined with an overall healthy lifestyle. It also helps our bodies absorb important minerals from the foods we eat and recently has been said to help control blood sugar levels.

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

 

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - U

How many of you have heard of the UGLI® fruit? I truly hope I'm not the only one who didn't know about this Jamaican tangelo. UGLI is the registered trademark under which Cabel Hall Citrus Ltd. markets this fruit. I honestly had no idea, which is why my photo shows only the "U" capitalized and not the whole word.

According to UGLI's website, this tangelo is a variety of citrus fruit that is exported to markets all over the world. You can peel it and eat it like a tangerine or slice it in half and scoop out the insides like you would a grapefruit. This tangelo is used in cooking, but you can also drink the juice. Like other citrus fruit, it is an excellent source of Vitamin C and fiber.

You can find some recipes on the UGLI website.

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - T

Truly hard to believe we're almost at the end of this year's Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I hope you've been enjoying my posts.

Today is the letter T and that's for thyme--one of the the herbs I think about together ( parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme). You can thank Simon and Garfunkel for that.

Thyme is another one of those herbs that has ancient roots. According to vegetarianism & vegetarian nutrition, the Romans believed it to be a cure for melancholy. Thyme is a member of the mint family, which always surprises me because I expect it to taste like mint in my food, but it doesn't. I almost decided to grow it in my herb garden this year, but decided to go with chives instead.

I often use thyme in marinades for beef and chicken. It's also used in soups or on vegetables. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy to relieve pain (I need to get me some of this) and elevate mood, according to the website. It's also consider helpful for bronchitis. Who knew?

It's not an herb I use often, but I make sure I don't run out--just in case.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - S

This year we're going to attempt to plant strawberries. The seeds all came in yesterday, and I discovered these were supposed to be started indoors a few weeks ago. Whoops! We'll see what happens.

According to The World's Healthiest Foods, recent research shows this fruit to be an exceptional source of antioxidants. When compared with other fruits, strawberries come in fourth behind blackberries, cranberries, and raspberries. Since our family loves all of these, it looks like we're doing something right.

Something else this article from WHFoods shows is that maximum storage time for strawberries is only 2 days. After that, they lose a great deal of vitamin C and polyphenol antioxidants. Strawberries are also good for cardiovascular health.

While I enjoy strawberries plain, I must admit I like them most in my favorite dessert--strawberry shortcake.

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - R

Today we're talking about rosemary. This is a fragrant herb often used in aromatherapy. In ancient times, it was used as a medicinal, ritual and seasoning herb, according to Live and Feel.

Its leaves are similar to pine needles. I often use dried rosemary when I cook--though I never can stop feeling like I should be singing, Scarborough Fair when I sprinkle it in.

Rosemary is said to increase energy and optimism. Long-term it fortifies and revitalizes the body. Rosemary tincture can be diluted with water to work on several ailments. The essential oil is used in cosmetic products.

Since this herb was popular with ancient Greeks, I figured I would share a recipe that reminds me of my husband's Greek heritage. It comes from Allrecipes.com.

Prep time: 30 min

Cook time: 2 hours

• 6 lamb shanks
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 large carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (750 milliliter) bottle red wine
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
• 5 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1. Sprinkle shanks with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook shanks until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer shanks to plate.
2. Add onions, carrots and garlic to pot and saute until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in wine, tomatoes, chicken broth and beef broth. Season with rosemary and thyme. Return shanks to pot, pressing down to submerge. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 2 hours.
3. Remove cover from pot. Simmer about 20 minutes longer. Transfer shanks to platter, place in a warm oven. Boil juices in pot until thickened, about 15 minutes. Spoon over shanks.               

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - P

One of the seeds I was sure to order this week was pumpkin. The kids love pumpkins because they enjoy decorating them for Halloween. The one year we planted them, things didn't turn out too well. The plants got powdery mildew infection and I ended up harvesting the few pumpkins early. We only used them as decorations that year.

According to Power Your Diet, rich in vital anti-oxidants and vitamins, pumpkin is also low in calories. They say the pumpkin is "rrecommended by dietitians in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs." I used to eat pumpkin seeds as a kid, dried and baked in the oven with a bit of salt. The seeds are a good source of dietary fiber.

The only way my girls enjoy eating pumpkin is in muffin form. This is a great recipe from my Betty Crocker's New Christmas Cookbook. I love this book and use it all year round.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup (1/2) stick margarine or butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottom only of 12 medium muffin cups, 2 1/2 x 1 1/14 inches. Mix all ingredients just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Divide batter evenly among cups (about two-thirds full). Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon sugar over batter in each cup if desired. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. 1 dozen muffins.

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - O

Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I love onions. I eat them every chance I get. Guess it's a good thing I work from home and don't go out a lot.

Onions are members of the Allium family, which means they are rich in sulfur-containing compounds. That's where they get their strong odor from, but that's also where many of the health benefits come from.
I learned something new about onions today. According to The World's Healiest Foods, "When onions are simmered to make soup, their quercetin does not get degraded. It simply gets transferred into the water part of the soup. By using a low-heat method for preparing onion soup, you can preserve the health benefits of onion that are associated with this key flavonoid." I thought water would reduce the health benefit of any vegetable.

The onion has been found to help protect the heart and blood vessels (if you have a diet rich in other fruits and vegetables) and can help increase bone density. It also can reduce the risk of certain cancers.

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. Click here for a list of participants.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - N

This house is never without a can of nuts somewhere. Peanuts, cashews, pistachios, walnuts and more are regular snacks. According to staff at the Mayo Clinic, eating nuts as part of a healthy diet can be good for your heart. They say people who eat nuts as part of a heart-healthy diet can lower their low-density lipoprotein (LDL)--bad--cholesterol. High LDL is a primary cause of heart disease.

A few years ago, my husband's LDL was high, so he began a program that included exercising five days a week and a low fat diet. His doctor also prescribed simvastatin (Zocor). The challenge is since he started this altogether, it's hard to know if diet and exercise could have brought about the desired change without the need for medication. Even with medication, lifestyle is a key component in reducing the risk for heart disease.

While nuts can be expensive, the health benefits far outweigh the costs for us.

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. A full list of participants can be found here.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - L

What I was going to talk about today was a no brainer for me because I swear the Greeks use lemon for everything: to flavor water, and to add a kick to soups, fish, steak, and salads.

Lemons have antioxidants and are a great source of Vitamin C. According to The World's Healthiest Foods, consumption of Vitamin C is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes including heart disease, stroke and cancer. A versatile fruit, lemon juice can be used to clean copper, remove stains on counter tops, and freshen up your drain. It can also be used as a bleaching agent for clothes, but I have never been brave enough to try it.

This post is part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. You can find a list of participants here.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - K

Here's another leafy green vegetable that is good for you--kale. If it weren't for my in-laws, I might not have thought much about kale. It took me over 35 years to happily eat spinach. My father-in-law enjoys kale, and it's good for him too, considering the cholesterol-lowering benefits you get from steaming it. In 1996, he had a quadruple bypass, so a huge diet change followed.

According to The World's Healthiest Foods, this leafy green has also been shown to lower the risk of five different types of cancer, and kale's glucosinolates can help regulate detox at a genetic level. They say kale is one of the healthiest vegetables around.

While steaming is the best way to cook kale, I thought this sauteed kale recipe from Bobby Flay found on Foodnetwork.com sounded good.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

1 1/2 pounds young kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until soft, but not colored. Raise heat to high, add the stock and kale and toss to combine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring until all the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add vinegar.

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. For a full list of participants, visit this link.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - J

Here's something I had never heard of before--juniper berries. Now, I had heard of the plant Juniperus Recurva, but I don't think I've ever seen one before, and I didn't know it had berries, never mind that they were edible.

According to The Spice House, the berries are popular around game season because they are used to flavor wild game. Not being one who eats a lot of wild game, I had no idea. They were used by American Indians when they cooked buffalo. In Europe they are used to flavor wild boar (that does not sound appetizing), venison and pork, and in stuffing for fowl. The juniper berry is said to have a tart flavor.

Have you ever used them? Did you like them?

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. You can find a list of participants here.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - I

I was going to open this post with my excuse for liking what is known as the least nutritious kind of lettuce (pretty much it's my favorite and I prefer it) but instead, I can now eat my iceberg lettuce in peace.  According to Raw Food Health, this is a myth. The article states that by most measures of nutrition, iceberg lags behind romaine and other leafy greens, especially when measured by weight. If measured by calories, however, it's not that bad. In addition, it leads in water and sodium. Hmmm....

You can read the entire article here if you're interested.

Here's a simple recipe I found at GymTrainer that sounds good

Iceberg Lettuce with Sunflower Seeds

•1 iceberg lettuce
•1 handful of raw sunflower seeds
•1 / 2 cucumber
•5-6 olives
•5-6 capers
•2 tablespoons olive oil
•2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
•salt to taste

Preparation:
Clean and cut the wholesale iceberg in a large bowl. Add olives, capers, cleaned and chopped cucumber. Bake in a dry pan over high heat for 2-3 minutes and place the seeds in a salad.
Garnish with herbs and stir.

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. You can find a full list of participants here.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - H

The Lil Diva's (10) favorite fruit outside of strawberries (Anyone know what we'll be talking about when we get to S?) is honeydew melon. According to The Cook's Thesaurus, honeydew melon has a green or orange flesh (I didn't know about the latter). These melons are very low in sodium and high in Vitamin C. A large portion of the fruit's calories, however, come from sugar.

We use honeydew melon in fruit salads or eat it alone with breakfast or as an in between meal snack.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - G

Grapes might just be our family's favorite fruit. I grew up on white ones and switched to red ones as an adult. While I still enjoy white ones occasionally, I prefer the taste of red. The Lil Diva (10) and the Lil Princess (8) want to try their hands at growing grapes this year. We also have a friend who started growing grapes and ended up retiring from the business world and starting his own winery. While I'm not a big wine drinker, I thought the ones I tasted there were good.

According to The World's Healthiest Foods, a recent study indicates that several grape phytonutrients are now believed to play a role in longevity. I actually had no idea how many health benefits could be gained by eating grapes. You can read an article on it here. The article also provides a history of grapes and many other interesting facts.

Looking for a different take on this healthy snack. Frozen grapes make fun and different frozen snack for kids.

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. You can find a full list of participants by clicking here.

Blogging from A to Z - F

The vegetable fennel is a great source of Vitamin C, in addition to being a good source of dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, folate, and molybdenum. Crunchy and a bit sweet, it is often found in Mediterranean cuisine. The stalks that grow from this bulb are topped with feather-like green leaves. Its yellow flowers produce seeds. The bulb, stalks, leaves and seeds are all edible.* While I don't use fennel often, I have some dried seeds here for a few recipes. 

I'm thinking of trying this recipe I found at Allrecipes.com.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 6 minutes
Serves 4

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1 fennel bulb, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Fill a saucepan half full with water and bring to a boil. Add the green beans and fennel slices; cook until just beginning to become tender, about 4 minutes. Pour into a colander to drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.

2. Return the empty pan to the stove and set heat to medium. Pour in the olive oil and let it heat for a minute. Return the green beans and fennel to the pan. Season with basil, salt, and pepper; cook and stir until coated and warm. Transfer to a serving dish and toss with feta cheese.

Two people who made this recipe said they would not boil the fennel.


* Source: The World's Healthiest Foods

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. For a complete list of participants, click here.

Blogging from A to Z - E

Don't these look yummy? The Early Richmond Cherry (Prunus cerasus) is a sour cherry. According to the Arbor Day Foundation, this is a self-pollinating, heavy producing tree that will produce fruit for 3 to 5 years. Hardier in cold climates, and resistant to drought and rainy conditions, this cherry is ideal for pies and preserves. This tree will grow up to 15 - 18 feet high and have a 10 - 20 foot spread. There are also dwarf and semi-dwarf trees available.

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. Click here for a full list of participants.