Vegetables

© Chef LaLa

Bring on the heat and make your dishes go from mild to wild by adding fire and flavor to your food with chile peppers.  While bell peppers are sweet and mild, Habanero, the hottest, can be fiery.  The heat or fire is caused by the natural chemical in peppers called capsaicin, which stimulates nerve endings in the skin.

Peppers have been consumed in the Americas since 7500 BC and were cultivated around the globe when Columbus discovered that their taste was similar to black pepper. Many cultures use some type of peppers in their cuisines because they add flavor and are believed to have medicinal benefits.  Red chilis contain high amounts of vitamin c and provitamin A and are a good source of most B vitamins, B6 in particular. They are also very high in potassium, magnesium and iron. Peppers can be used raw, roasted, baked, pickled, grilled, and in powder form.  Since they are so good and so good for you, why not try some today*:

 *As with anything, moderation is the key.  If you suffer from digestive disorders such as GERD or IBS, peppers can aggravate these conditions so be sure to check with your health care provider before adding peppers to your diet. 

© Chef LaLa

Mushrooms are a great low-calorie, sodium-free, fat-free source of potassium and other nutrients and lend a fun flavor and texture to stir-fries, casseroles, pastas, rice dishes, pizza, meat dishes, burgers, salads and more.  Available in many varieties, mushrooms are a great addition to a multitude of dishes and are even great as a grilled, sautéed, baked or fried side dish.  Be sure; however, to use fresh, closed-gill varieties from your market as the ones that are decaying or picked from your own garden may be poisonous/toxic.  Try marinating, stuffing, pickling or many other options for enjoying mushrooms.

© Chef LaLa

Whether served raw or cooked, vegetables are excellent sources of vital nutrients for our bodies to function properly.  Each vegetable provides something different so, as with any food, its a good idea to have variety to gain the maximum nutritional benefits as well as experience the many flavors and textures out there.  One of the best ways to cook vegetables easily and still retain the color, texture, flavor and nutrients is to steam them.  If you don’t have a steamer, you can simply use a saucepan on your stovetop or your microwave and achieve the same results. 

To steam on the stovetop, you will need a large cooking pot and a steamer basket or collander that fits inside. Fill the pot with enough water to touch the bottom of the colander or steamer basket. Once the water comes to a boil, add vegetables and loosely cover to let the steam escape.  You can even add some herbs to the cooking water for added flavor and aroma.  When steaming in the microwave, place your vegetables in a microwave-safe bowl, add a few tablespoons of water, cover with microwave safe plastic wrap, leaving one corner open to vent.

All vegetables have different cooking times depending on their size and thickness, but most take no more than a few minutes. For the more commonly steamed vegetables, refer to the following chart:

Vegetable	Stovetop Steam Time	Microwave Steam Time
Asparagus	4-6 minutes depending on thickness (will be darker color when done)	4-6 minutes depending on thickness (will be darker color when done)
Broccoli	5 minutes (will be darker color when done)	3-5 minutes (will be darker color when done)
Brussel sprouts	10 minutes	7 minutes
Carrots	Sliced ¼” thick 6-8 minutes	Sliced ¼” thick 5 minutes
Cauliflower	6 minutes	3-4 minutes
Green Beans	5 minutes	3-4 minutes
Peas	3 minutes	1-2 minutes
Zucchini	6-7 minutes	6-8 minutes

© Chef LaLa

To ensure your gardening efforts are environmentally safe, there are a few factors to consider. 

1. Plan - stick to what will grow in the climate and soil you have to work with
2. Care – use rainwater when possible to water your plants and in areas facing drought consider planting things that don’t need a lot of water.  Use organic fertilizers instead of manure (pasteurized chicken manure has less odor or a liquid made from fish and seaweed by-products)
3. Control – most of the bugs in your garden are harmless and some are more beneficial than the pesticides you might use to control them.  Hang bird feeders or nesting gardens near your garden to have the birds consume the bugs.  If necessary, use an insecticidal soap which is hearty enough to kill pests but safe.
4. Share – excess fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers are great to share with friends, family and neighbors.  You won’t have wasted a moment of your time or your harvest and others will enjoy your efforts.
5. Recycle – leftover plant waste can be put into a composting bin in your yard to use as fertilizer or mulch for next season’s crop rather than taking up space in a landfill.

© Chef LaLa

Summer is almost here and summer vegetables are beginning to arrive in your local supermarkets, specialty markets and farmer’s markets.  Experts recommend consuming 5 servings* a day of fruits and vegetables to help reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer. Summer veggies are not only nutritious and delicious, they’ll help you look and feel your best by providing vitamin C, potassium, lutein, folate, iron, fiber, and essential hydration.  Try one or more of these summer veggies today:

Arugula	Eggplant	Potatoes
Avocados	Garlic	Shallots
Green Beans	Kohlrabi	Summer Squash
Beans	Mushrooms	Swiss chard
Beets	Okra	Tomatoes
Collards	Onions	Zucchini
Corn	Sugar Snap Peas
Cucumber	Peppers

Try some of these ideas… 

·         Skip the chips which make you thirstier and opt for bright crunchy carrots and celery which are low in calories and fat and high in nutrients that will keep you feeling refreshed

·         Add some fresh veggies to your summer salad for a cool light meal packed with nutrients

·         Load your baked potato or pasta with cooked veggies instead of butter or rich sauces or even toss with light olive oil or add to your favorite light sauces to give you flavor and energy on a hot summer day 

* One serving of vegetables is equivalent to ¼ cup dry or one medium sized fresh vegetable such as a carrot or ¾ of a cup of juice or ½ cup cooked or 1 cup raw veggies.

Whether you’ve never had an artichoke, don’t know how to prepare or eat one, or are already an expert, now is the time to enjoy since they are in peak season from March to May. Artichokes are a Mediterranean food related to the thistle and are delicious and fun to eat.  They’re easy to prepare and are an excellent source of nutrients like dietary magnesium, fiber, and the trace mineral chromium.  They’re also a very good source of vitamins A and C, folic acid, biotin, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, potassium, the trace mineral manganese, and a carbohydrate that’s in the form of insulin.  These properties make them healthy for the whole family including those watching their calories and blood sugar.  Fresh artichokes contain polysaccharide which is a carbohydrate handled by the body differently than other sugars, making them low in calories and extremely beneficial to diabetics because the type of insulin they produce has been shown to improve blood sugar control in diabetes.  Throughout history artichokes have been known to treat liver disease, lower cholesterol, and are considered an aphrodisiac food.

There are many varieties of artichokes, ranging in color from olive green to deep red, though the Globe variety is most commonly found in supermarkets. Commonly known as a vegetable, the artichoke is actually a flower bud, which when allowed to blossom, is violet blue in color. Artichokes come in a variety of sizes–the biggest, perfect for steaming or boiling, while baby artichokes (often much cheaper) are a delicious and tender addition to almost any recipe. When buying artichokes, as with any produce, fresh is best. Choose artichokes that are tightly closed and seem heavy for their size with few discolored or shriveled leaves. Rub the leaves together; if they squeak, they’re fresh. Once you get your artichokes home, keep them in a sealed bag in the refrigerator to prevent discoloration.

75% of the 3 million cartons of domestically-grown artichokes are grown in Castroville, California, the self-proclaimed Artichoke Center of the World since 1959 with an annual mid-May festival to celebrate the artichoke. Have your own celebration by enjoying some steamed artichokes petals at home.  Dip them in butter or your favorite sauce for an added treat and you’ll be hooked!

How to Cook an Artichoke

Once you’ve bought your artichoke, preparation is easy. Start by trying the classic steamed or boiled approach and then you can experiment with different methods and recipes as you get more comfortable.

1. Wash the artichoke in cold water.
2. Remove any discolored or shriveled lower petals.
3. Using a sharp stainless steel knife (to prevent discoloration) trim the stem close to the artichoke’s base.
4. Cut off the top quarter of petals if you prefer so the tips don’t poke your fingers.
5. To preserve the vegetable’s color, though not necessary, you can dip it in acidified water prior to cooking (one quart of water mixed with one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar). You can also add a touch of sugar and salt or herbs to the boiling water to obtain a better flavor.
6. Steam (place on rack above an inch or two of boiling water) or boil (add to pot with enough boiling water to completely cover). Cook until you can pull off a petal near the center with ease–25 to 40 minutes depending on the size of the artichoke. Large ones may take 60 minutes but are much “meatier”

How to Eat an Artichoke

The artichoke is like a delicacy that can be consumed alone or with a simple dipping sauce to complement it and make a great appetizer, especially for kids. This spiny vegetable can be an intimidating presence on the dinner table if you’ve never had one whole but the following tips can help even the novice artichoke eater enjoy the wonderfully nutty flavor of this unique plant like an expert:

• Pull off outer petals one by one, dip the thicker base into the sauce of your choice, and bite or scrape the succulent pulp off the inside of the petal with your teeth. Discard the rest of the petal.  This is especially fun for children.
• When you get to the heart of the artichoke, spoon or cut away the fuzzy portion in the center, cut the remainder of the heart (including any portion of the attached stem) into bite-size portions, dip, and savor!

Final Notes on Artichokes

Once you’ve mastered the basic preparation and eating techniques, allow yourself to get creative. Artichokes can be marinated and grilled, stuffed and fried, sautéed with meat and vegetables as a topping for pasta, roasted, braised, added to salads, or creamed in soups. If you prefer to keep things simple, try varying your dipping sauces for steamed artichokes. For a change of pace from butter, homemade mayonnaise-based sauces mixed with fresh herbs, spices or garlic and lemon are a nice complement.  However you enjoy your artichokes, feel good about serving them to your entire family for a fun, healthy appetizer or main course this spring.

Spring Fruits and Vegetables

Spring is finally here! So are the wonderfully sweet and juicy spring fruits such as: Apricots, Blueberries, Cantaloupe, Casaba Melon, Cherries, Currants, Figs, Nectarines, Papayas, Pineapples, Raspberries, Rhubarb, and Strawberries, Your whole family will enjoy these fruits and you’ll feel good about providing great nutrition and a delicious snack fresh, cooked, or in your favorite dish. For our latest ideas recipes that include your favorite fruits, please visit www.cheflala.com/lifestyle/healthyrecipes/recipes-by-type/fruits

Also in season are delicious and nutritious spring vegetables such as: Asparagus, Snap Beans, Carrots, Fennel, Garlic, Okra, Onions, Green Onions, English Peas, Sugar Snap Peas, Rhubarb, Shallot, Spinach, and Swiss Chard.  For recipe ideas to enjoy your spring vegetables, please visit www.cheflala.com/lifestyle/healthyrecipes/recipes-by-type/vegetables.

Advice from the FDA on handling fresh produce…http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qa-prod1.html

INGREDIENTS16 ounces garbanzo beans, canned
16 ounces kidney beans, canned
16 ounces black beans, canned
16 ounces corn, canned
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces roasted red bell pepper, from a jar, diced
6 ounces green bell pepper, seeded, small dice
2 tablespoons cilantro, fine chop
1 tablespoon italian parsley, fine chop

METHOD

* Rinse and drain all canned items.

* In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.

* Chill before serving for 15-20 minutes.

Servings 16

Nutritional Guide Per Serving

Calories 123
Fat (g) 1.6
Saturated .2
Unsaturated 1.4
Protein (g) 6.2
Carbohydrates (g) 22.7
Fiber (g) 4.4
Cholesterol (mg) 0
Sodium (mg) 156

Note: To save time, look for jarred roasted red peppers.

Recipe from the book “Latin Lover Lite” by Chef LaLa available at amazon.com and retailers near you.

As Seen on ABC Chicago

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=6499778

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Makes 8 – ½ cup servings

Ingredients

2 pounds Baby red potatoes, unpeeled

¼ cup Low fat buttermilk

1 tablespoon Canned chipotles in adobo, sauce only

½ teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoon Black pepper

Preparation:

Place potatoes in stockpot, add water to cover, cook until tender. Drain water , return potatoes to stockpot. Cut the potatoes in four, transfer to a bowl and slightly mash with spoon (big chunks). Add buttermilk, chipotle sauce, salt and pepper. Fold Ingredients together to combine. Cook until completely heated through. Return to pan and heat covered when ready to serve, or place in the oven, covered, at 250° for 15 minutes.

When you mix your potatoes mix them as little as possible because the more you mix them the stickier they will become.

Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce can be found in the Hispanic section or the canned chile pepper section of the grocery store.

For chaffing dish service - for moister potatoes, add more buttermilk or chicken stock.

Calories	95
Total Fat	.5
Saturated Fat	.2
Monounsaturated Fat	0
Polyunsaturated Fat	.1
Cholesterol	1
Sodium	164
Total Carbohydrate	21
Dietary Fiber	2
Protein	2.7