Tag: summer fruit

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Strawberry Banana Popsicles

These are a perfect treat for warm summer nights. Best of all, they only have THREE ingredients and are free of refined sugars! I imagine that you could also swap out the strawberries for other berries, for peaches, or pineapple as well.

Strawberry Banana Popsicles

cleaneatingwithkatie
These Strawberry Banana pops are quick, tasty, have only three ingredients, and use no refined sugar!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • popsicle molds

Ingredients
  

  • 3 bananas very ripe
  • 3 cups strawberries stems trimmed
  • ½ can full-fat coconut milk
  • 5-6 strawberries thinly sliced, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • When measuring out the full-fat coconut milk, be sure to get about half of the liquid coconut milk and half the solid coconut fat.
  • Add bananas, strawberries, and coconut milk to high speed blender and blend on high until smooth. 
  • Before pouring liquid into popsicle molds, stick 2-3 strawberries onto the sides of the molds and then add the liquid. 
  • Freeze for 2-3 hours until frozen. Enjoy!
Keyword dairy free, dessert, gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, popsicles, strawberry banana popsicles
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Cantaloupe Gazpacho with Prosciutto

I first experienced a watermelon gazpacho in 2002 in Sedona, Arizona at a restaurant called The Secret Garden. I have no idea if their menu still includes watermelon gazpacho, but with a quick Google Search, it appears to still be in Sedona. Then a few weeks back at our favorite restaurant in SLO County, Thomas Hill Organics in Paso Robles, we had a DEVINE Cantaloupe Gazpacho that I instantly knew needed to be recreated. 
Pictured here is the Cantaloupe Gazpacho from Thomas Hill Organics.

Cantaloupe Gazpacho with Prosciutto

cleaneatingwithkatie
The sweetness of the cantaloupe paired with the salty and savoriness of the prosciutto and with the herbs packs this soup with flavor. It's so simple and yet it feels very fancy.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Course Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large cantaloupe rind removed, seeded, & cubed
  • 4 mint leaves
  • 4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil garnish
  • cilantro leaves optional garnish
  • 4 pieces prosciutto garnish

Instructions
 

  • Add the cantaloupe and mint leaves to a high-speed blender. Blend until the consistency is very smooth. 
  • Refrigerate the cantaloupe mint mixture for at least one hour before serving. 
  • Before serving, heat a dry non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto to the pan to crisp. Once it crisps up, turn over to crisp the other side. Allow to cool. 
  • Before serving, portion out the chilled cantaloupe gazpacho into four bowls. Drizzle with olive oil, add a few cilantro leaves, and one piece of crisped prosciutto to each bowl.
Keyword cantaloupe, cantaloupe gazpacho, gazpacho
Here is my copycat version of Cantaloupe Gazpacho.
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Grain-Free Peach Pie

Once going grain-free, I found it can be tricky to recreate some of my old favorites. After some tinkering in the kitchen, we’ve found a recipe that totally hits the spot. We’ve tried this with peaches and with berries and both work wonderfully.

Grain-Free Peach Pie

cleaneatingwithkatie
This grain free peach pie works well with fresh or frozen peaches and is quick and easy. You won't regret making this!!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people

Ingredients
  

  • 10-12 fresh peaches sliced or 20 oz frozen peaches
  • ½ cup almond flour
  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • ½ cup cassava flour
  • ½ cup coconut sugar
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ½ cup grass-fed butter room temperature

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350° F.
  • Place the peaches in a pie pan. They should cover the surface completely.
  • Add the dry ingredients into a medium bowl. Add slices of butter to the bowl. Use a dough blender to cream the dry ingredients and the butter. It should be the consistency of a crumble.
  • Spread the crumble topping over the peaches. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the peaches in the center.
  • Let cool for at least 15 minutes. Serve and Enjoy!
Keyword grain-free, grain-free desert, grain-free peach pie, peach pie
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The 52 New Foods Challenge – Apples

While Apples are pretty much a staple in most homes in North America, I imagine that there are many varieties that you have yet to try! My grandparents had an apple tree in their backyard and I grew making apple crumbles and apple pies with my grandma. Despite all those apples as a kid,  I did not really like raw apples until I was an adult. Green were too tart for me and red and yellow were always too mealy (I now know that’s because they were OLD – many months out of season). Americans are so used to getting all types of produce year round in super markets, but in reality, those foods are either stored in cold storage for many months, grown in a different climate and shipped in, or grown in a greenhouse.

As an adult, I have come to really like all kinds of pink apples: pink lady, fuji, gala, and honeycrisp. I also only eat apples during apple season and during the very early weeks of cold storage. In Northern California, apple season begins in mid-late July and generally lasts until October. Thus, I  only consume apples from July-December.

Besides eating apples with almond butter, my favorite thing to use apples for is apple pie, any surprises there??? Jennifer Tyler Lee recommends that folks make an apple galette, warm cinnamon apples, or apple chips.

Food Facts:

  • Wild apples have SIGNIFICANTLY more phytonutrients than our domesticated varieties – some wild varieties have up to 475 times more phytonutrients than certain domesticated varieties.
  • If you were to plant the five apple seeds from an apple, you would get FIVE different varieties from those new trees. Once a variety is identified, new trees are grown by grafting (a method that involves cutting off branches from a tree and attaching that branch to a less desirable tree that has been trimmed back). This is known as extreme heterozygosity.
  • Any apple that is less than two inches in diameter is considered a crabapple.
  • Most of our modern apples can be traced back to central Asia.
  • There were once 15,000 varieties of apples growing in the United States, now there 500 varieties.
  • Apples harvested at the end of apple season will store the longest – several months, as compared with apples harvested in the beginning of apple season – several weeks.
  • Apples store best in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.
  • An apple with the peel contains 50% more nutrients than an apple without the peel.
  • Raw apples contain more nutrients than cooked apples.
  • Apples are a good source of vitamins C and K and potassium.
  • Good source of pectin and other fibers.
  • Rich source of flavonoids.

Sources:

The 52 New Foods Challenge by Jennifer Tyler Lee, Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno, and Lara Pizzorno, Superfoods by Tonia Reinhard, Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson, and The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan

 

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The 52 New Foods Challenge – Cherries

Well this post will be up just in time for cherry season to be over :(. Cherry season typically starts near the end of May and goes through late June/early July.  But better late than never! Jennifer Tyler Lee suggests that folks dehydrate them, making “Sour Cherry Blasters” or make them into a cherry compote to accompany vanilla ice cream. Cherries are not one of my favorite fruits, but I will enjoy them raw. While I do think they are tasty, I just like other stone fruit better.

Food Facts:

  • Sour (tart) cherry juice can be used to help improve sleep and has been shown to reduce the risk for heart disease and and diabetes.
  • Cherries are a good source of vitamins A and C, potassium, copper, and manganese.
  • Good source of fiber.
  • Both sour and sweet cherries have been shown to reduce inflammation.cherries
  • Cherries have also been reported to reduce Gout attacks.
  • Sour cherries are lower in calories than sweet cherries.
  • They are a rich source of flavonoids, especially anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins.
  • Cherries were one of the first fruits to be brought to the “new world”.
  • One study found that runners that drank Montmorency cherry juice (one glass before the race and one glass during the race) were less sore afterwards because of the ability of the cherries to help with muscle recovery.
  • Fresh cherries are firm, shiny, and lack dents, pits, or bruises. They also have bright green stems. The fresher the cherry, the more nutrients!
  • Store cherries in the fridge and eat them quickly!

From The 52 New Foods Challenge: A Family Cooking Adventure for Each Week of the Year, with 150 Recipes by Jennifer Tyler Lee, Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murry, Joseph Pizzorno, and Lara Pizzorno, Superfoods: The Healthiest Foods on the Planetby Tonia Reinhard, and Eating on the Wild Side: The Missing Link to Optimum Health by Jo Robinson.

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In Season, in July

July is here! I love July because it truly symbolizes summer for me. Although, this July I do have to work for a couple of weeks, generally, for teachers, July is the only month of year where there is actually no school. The other reason I love July is because all the wonderful fruit and vegetable options available in July.

Figs are top of my list of exciting fruits this month! And everyone loves when tomato season is here! I’m looking forward to caprese salads this summer – it brings me back to Italy! Yum! What are you looking forward to this July?

Hugs & Health <3,

Katie

 

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The 52 New Foods Challenge – Plums

I have very fond childhood memories of eating all the fruit growing up. My grandfather grew up on a farm in Lake Huron, MI. When the Essenmacher clan moved to California, he set up a bountiful backyard garden. Among the many things that he grew were plums. The plum tree was nestled next to my childhood swing set. I still love plums to this day and I’ll give my grandparents all the credit for my fruit addiction.

Jennifer Tyler Lee suggests that readers roast plums with pistachios or try making an Asian plum sauce. While I can easily eat about a half dozen fresh farmer’s market or backyard plums, I do like the idea of cooking the fruit. I’m particularly fond of grilled stone fruit served over some vanilla ice cream.

Food Facts:

  • Wild varieties pack the most nutrients. Look for red, purple, black, or blue plums because they will have more phytonutrients, especially anthocyanins.
  • Plums should be ripened on the the tree and can be susceptible to chilling injury.
  • Plums are a good source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C, K, fiber, potassium, and copper.
  • Plums and prunes (or dried plums as they are now being referred to in order to boost their popularity) are known for their laxative effects.
  • Their content of neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids [phenols] has been documented to have antioxidant and anticancer properties.

From The 52 New Foods Challenge: A Family Cooking Adventure for Each Week of the Year, with 150 Recipes by Jennifer Tyler Lee, Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno, and Laura Pizzorno, Superfoods: The Healthiest Foods on the Planet by Tonia Reinhard, and Eating on the Wild Side: The Missing Link to Optimum Health by Jo Robinson.

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In Season, in June

Well, this post is later than I had planned, but better late than never! Summer is in full swing here in Northern California and it has been quite warm. School is out, the days are long, sunny, and beautiful, and the bounty of produce options leaves me like that heart googly eyed emoji.

Now we have herbs like basil in season. And…….. Blueberries!!!!! I literally can’t get enough of them. Next up is corn. I know most people LOVE corn, and I while I do like it, I almost never eat or buy it. If I do, it absolutely must be organic. Once we went paleo, it was one of those things that I just didn’t feel the urge to splurge. I am also very excited that it is now raspberry  and

nectarine season. And that summer squash will be coming to a zoodler near you! Here is the Spiralizer that I use to turn my zucchini into “noodles”:  Tri-Blade Vegetable Spiral Slicer, Strongest-Heaviest, Best Veggie Pasta Spaghetti Maker for Low Carb/Paleo/Gluten-Free Meals.

Happy June! Enjoy the bounty from the farmer’s market!! Or join a CSA!

Hugs & Health <3,

Katie

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The 52 New Food Challenge – Peaches

Welp, I’ve fallen off the wagon. The “post a new food each week” wagon. But this week I’m getting back on the wagon. Rather than trying to play catch up for about 2-3 months worth of foods, I’m just going to start with the current food of the week: PEACHES!!

Jennifer Tyler Lee suggests that you grill peaches (I’ve done this: YUM!), make peach ice cream, or try making fruit leather. Recently I made some paleo turkey meatballs with Thai chili and peach jam. Jim said, “the peaches are what make this dish!”. 

A little background: I started this challenge to encourage myself, a notoriously picky eater, to try and to LIKE more foods. This is my first post on the blog, but I’ve been posting these since December 2014 on my Facebook page and my Instagram page. I was a very picky eater as a kid, and although, I’m much less picky now, there are still more vegetables that I would like to ENJOY eating. From personal experience, I’ve found that the more often that I am exposed to a vegetable, the more I like it. This has been my experience with Kale, Beets, Tomatoes, and Cilantro.

Food Facts:

  • Peaches and nectarines are identical except for one gene – the “fuzziness” gene (it also happens to affect a couple of other minor traits)
  • Nectarines can spontaneously appear on peach trees and vice versa (WOW!)
  • Stone fruits, including peaches, are picked when unripe and continue ripening after being picked but if not kept in ideal conditions, they become mealy, brown, leathery, or dry. This is what causes most conventional grocery store peaches to leave people feeling disappointed. (read: buy your peaches at the farmers’ market)
  • White-fleshed peaches and nectarines have more antioxidants than yellow-fleshed peaches and nectarines
  • The white-fleshed fruits are also sweeter
  • Peaches and nectarines are consistently on the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list, so you should buy organic and eat the skins (it is the most nutritious part)
  • Peaches and nectarines are good sources of vitamins A, C, and E, potassium, niacin, and copper. Peaches are also a good source of vitamin K and manganese
  • Good source of fiber
  • High in antioxidants – especially carotenoids and flavonoids (white-fleshed have less carotenoids)
  • Peach extract has been shown to inhibit breast cancer cell growth
  • They help to protect against Heart Disease, Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome

From The 52 New Food Challenge by Jennifer Tyler Lee, The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno, and Lara Pizzorno, and Super Foods by Tonia Reinhard

Health & Hugs <3,

Katie

peaches - in season in august
Peaches – In season, in August