This salad favorite is perfect for late “springtime” or else “summertime” enjoyment. We look forward to eating every year (especially at a “BBQ” type event). Once mint is again growing in the garden, it is time to make Tabbouleh! Tabbouleh is a classic chopped vegetable salad of which there are many variations, depending upon where in the Mediterranean or Arab/Middle Eastern world the recipe version originated from. Photograph ©Stephanie B-H/SensoryNutrition/US12
Category: Cancer Prevention
Do You Know How to Build a Better Grocery Shopping List?
Have you ever wished you could easily build a customized grocery shopping list that would make it easier when it comes time to head to the farmers market and stores for supplies? There are MANY “kitchen” and “pantry” focused food item shopping lists that have been posted over the years, with some being much more comprehensive than others. In this technical age there are both low tech and high approaches to dealing with coming up with those grocery shopping
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Whole Food Focus Thanksgiving Preparations
Many people are considering the merits of a Whole Food focus basis for planning their upcoming Thanksgiving meal. Of course, the most important aspect of Thanksgiving is truly the opportunity give thanks for the blessings in our lives and to share that sentiment while being able to spend time with family and friends, so any food choices should enhance that overall experience. Memories of Thanksgivings past are connected to our emotional perceptions of those times, so there are sounds, sights, smells/aromas, tastes, textures that all contributed to the sensory perceptions we have locked in our memory banks of those special
Tips When Shopping for August Abundance
In the Northeast, August is the month where truly more localized produce variety increases and all sorts of marketplaces will start to feature a wider range of locally sourced product. We’d like to share some tips below to help make shopping for August Abundance that much more enjoyable for you. We’ll include ideas for before you head out shopping, once you arrive at the market place destination and while you are there, and then after you get back home again. In PA the weather has often been more temperate in the growing regions and they’ve had enough rain fall to
Summertime Cooking & Entertaining: Beyond Food Safety
Everyone knows how important Food Safety is when it comes to summertime cookouts. The “Fight Bac!™” program of The Partnership for Food Safety Education has provided lots of pertinent information to help everyone think ahead about how to reduce their risk of foodborne illness. This is especially true when it comes to warm weather food preparation and eating food items from summertime cookouts either outdoors or indoors. Image for “Keep Food Safe From Bacteria” courtesy of the Fight Bac!™ program. Follow sound, proper pre-preparation & safe cooking advice when it comes to food items as provided by USDA via their convenient fact sheets or
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The Skinny on Tomatoes, Including the Tomato Genome
Tomatoes qualify as a very popular non-starchy “vegetable” (even if they are botanically a “fruit” per se) based on per capita consumption in the USA, second only to potatoes. Year 2005 data from USDA noted tomato consumption from various sources, including primarily canned & frozen, as well as some fresh, to be close to 100# of farm weight/per person/per year. The next closest non-starchy vegetable category item, carrots, was noted to have consumption levels at just above 10# of farm weight/per person/per yr. (Different Tomatoes 2 graphic courtesy of salsachica at rgbstock.com) What contributes to the wild popularity of tomato
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Anti-Inflammatory Food Item Sources
We’ve discussed the importance of eating food choices from the “rainbow of color” options out there, but some readers wrote in asking for even more specifics than we have previously listed in various blog posts. Although within the US we have moved from using a model of a food guide pyramid to using a model of a plate to encourage healthful choices in dining, there are still some useful pyramid options out there. (Fresh Produce on Display in Taormina, Sicily, Italy, graphic courtesy of Betty H) The “Mediterranean Diet” (general Mediterranean style dietary intake as part of a total lifestyle)
Seasonal Fruit and Vegetable Guides (USA)
It’s summertime around the USA. That means a plethora of fresh herbs, vegetables and also some fresh fruits for consumers to enjoy can be found in various Farmer Markets, State & local Fairs, road side stands, community & backyard & sideyard vegetable gardens, grocery stores, convenience stores including bodegas, as well as push carts, food trucks, etc. In certain instances even area food banks and food pantries are lucky enough to receive some of nature’s abundance to be shared with others. How can you find out what produce options will be available in your locale during any given month? (Image
Men’s Health Week June 11-17, 2012 Part 1 of 2
With Father’s Day being celebrated on June 17, 2012, it seems appropriate to take a moment and talk about Men’s Health Week, June 11-17, 2012. Reportedly, Men’s Health Week was designated by the US Congress back in 1994 to occur during the week prior to Father’s Day. (Graphic courtesy of duchesssa via rgbstock.com) It has grown to be a global international effort since 2002 recognized and reportedly now promoted in Africa, Asia, Australia, Austria, Canada, Central America, Denmark, UK (England, Scotland &Wales), Netherlands, South America, and the United States. International Men’s Health Week as part of International Men’s Health Month provides a rich opportunity for many terrific