Seasonal food refers to the time of the year when a specific food is at its peak in flavor or harvest. Foods in season are usually less expensive, at their freshest, and provide an opportunity to incorporate health-promoting nutrients into the diet. Here’s a list of seasonal foods for February and a recipe for guacamole. You might have noticed that avocados are abundant right now and less expensive than usual, so this is the time to add them to your salads, make dips, and use them for garnish on Mexican foods.

The avocado is actually a fruit and is a good source of healthy fat, fiber, vitamin K, potassium and folate. They may even help lower cholesterol levels and protect against heart disease and stroke, so enjoy them while they’re at their finest!

zesty guacamole
what you need
4 ripe, fresh avocados, peeled and pitted*
2 limes, juiced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tomato, diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3 to 5 Jalapeno or Serrano chiles, seeded and finely minced
sea salt and chile powder to taste

*Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. Otherwise use 5 or 6 smaller ones.

what you do
1. In a large bowl, coarsely mash avocados and mix with lime juice.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the avocado mixture and stir gently until combined.
3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve with GF tortilla chips.

February seasonal food list
Avocados (see above)
Broccoli – is a member of the cabbage (cruciferous) family, has been shown to have remarkable anti-cancer properties, and is low in calories and high in nutrients. It’s rich in vitamin A, C, K, folic acid and fiber, and although much lower in calories, 1 up of broccoli contains as much protein as one cup of corn or rice. Wow, and it’s in season right now, so eat your broccoli!
Brussels sprouts – I have to admit, Brussels sprouts aren’t my favorite veggies, but, like broccoli, they’re part of the cabbage family and have lots of anti-cancer properties so give them a try. They’re also rich in vitamin C, K, B-6, fiber, thiamine, betacarotene, and potassium. Does anybody have a good recipe for these little critters?
Cabbage – well, guess what? This one is the “king” of the cruciferous family and the one that started the whole anti-cancer trend. Cabbage is one of the American Cancer Society’s top dietary recommendations to reduce your risk of cancer, so all these February harvest veggies should be on your grocery list. It has also been shown to be effective in the treatment of peptic ulcers. Throw some in your shopping cart.
Kale – kale is probably the closest relative to wild cabbage that we have. I love kale and like the rest of these super-stars, it’s high in all kinds of nutrients. One cup of kale supplies more than 70% of the RDI of vitamin C, with only 20 calories. Not to mention it’s high in calcium, fiber, iron, and vitamins B-1, B-2, and E. Good stuff!
Grapefruit – on to one of my favorite fruits – tart and refreshing! High in vitamin C, grapefruit is thought to protect against cancers of the prostate, lung and colon, and support immune function. Plus, an average sized grapefruit has a wimpy 70 calories. Note: grapefruit and grapefruit juice can inhibit the effectiveness of certain medications, so check with your doctor or pharmacist before mixing the two.

Okay, so now you know the cabbage family thrives in February. Hardy little characters, aren’t they? No wonder they’re full of healthy nutrients. So, go forth and eat your veggies, all of which are gluten-free by default! No pesky labels to read.

In good health,
Melissa

I thought I’d end January with a contest, this time double food-related. Last time the contest was about animal tracks, this version will be about spore-bearing fruiting fungus bodies. Doesn’t that sound appetizing? I’ll fill you in on the nutritional aspects of fungus in a day or so, but for now, I’ll just open the door to guesses.

So, what is this? Be specific, no general answers. This is a two-part question; identify both versions. I’ll give it a week and the winner will be the lucky recipient of something kitchen or food related. And although I hate to discriminate, I can only ship to U.S. addresses. But I invite answers from anywhere on the planet. Even from Karen, my favorite ramblingspoon, who is off wandering around somewhere in northern Thailand.

The grand prize isn’t all that grand, but it is a fun little culinary-related gadget. It’s not worth shipping very far though, certainly not half-way around the world.

I’m thinking maybe Cindy, my busy little rocket-scientist/food-chemistry neighbor at cindalouskitchenblues will figure this one out fairly quickly. But who knows, she might be off messing with microquasars or busy unlocking galactic mysteries, so hurry and give it a try before she gets back.

Good luck!
Melissa

Weird thing #1

Weird thing #2

The fork is for size perspective only. I wasn’t eating these things like this, but stay tuned for a recipe once we figure out what they are.

This is the second installment in a nutty series I launched a couple of days ago. I’ll start today with the basic walnut and follow up with two more exotic choices.

I love nuts – they’re a perfect addition to healthy food choices and walnuts are one of my favorites. They’re full of good protein and fats, vitamin E, and magnesium. A great source of vegetarian omega-3 fatty acids, studies show walnuts aid cognitive function, promote cardiovascular health, and have anti-inflammatory properties. Who doesn’t need a boost in all those areas? Walnuts are rich in the essential amino-acid l-arginine, which may help lower blood pressure. They also contain a antioxidant called ellagic acid which supports healthy immune function.

Although available year round, walnuts are harvested in the winter. Because of the high fat content in nuts, they should be used quickly or stored in the refrigerator – and eaten in moderation as they’re also high in calories.

Add walnuts to granolas, hot cereals, rice, salads, baked goods, pie crusts, or trail mix. Walnut oil also makes for rich and tasty salad dressings.

walnut hummus wraps
what you need
1 can drained chickpeas
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (omit if you don’t have them)
2/3 cups chopped walnuts
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
sea salt to taste
large leaves of Romaine lettuce or Napa cabbage (washed and dried)

what you do
With the back of a fork, mash the chickpeas in small bowl. Stir in walnuts and sesame seeds. Whisk together the oil, lemon, garlic and salt. Combine the chickpea mix with the dressing and chill for an hour or more. Fill crisp lettuce or cabbage leaves with mixture and serve immediately.

* This recipe is a variation of one from Bryanna’s Vegan Feast ideas.

According to our friends at Wikipedia, pistachio trees have been around for about 80 million years. Eighty million – how do they know that? They also say that pistachios aren’t nuts in a botanical sense, but are in a culinary sense. Hmmm?

Okay – on to the nutrition part, which is what we really need to know about anyway. Although I must admit, I might throw out that 80 million year thing next time I’m snacking on pistachios at a party. Does that sound like you’re smart, or just esoterically strange?

Shelled pistachios are sweet and earthy-green in color. The green color is natural and comes from the chlorophyll in the nut. Don’t eat dyed-red pistachios – what is that all about? Pistachios aren’t red, they’re pale beige with a meaty-green hue to them. Whoever decided they should be red must not be aware that they’ve existed just fine in that drab natural color for the past 80 million years. Geez, why mess with a good thing at this point?

And get this, one ounce (just one) of pistachio nuts contain as much fiber as an apple and more than that in a half-cup of spinach. They’re also high in vitamin B-6, thiamin, phosphorus, and magnesium. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Like the rest of the nuts, they’re high in fat so they go rancid quickly. High in fat also means high in calories, so go easy on the nuts.

Now – what are these little gems?

If you guessed hazelnuts or filberts (be honest), you’re right. Filbert is hazel’s domestic partner. They’re similar, hang out together, and depending on where they’re grown, are called one or the other. I’ll spare you the details as it gets a bit convoluted, but trust me, they’re the same nut. I love hazelnut flour for baking* and who doesn’t like hazelnut chocolate truffles? Or Nutella, one of my favorite backpacking staples. Nutella isn’t the most nutritious product around, so I’m really not advocating it, but it does serve its purpose out on the trail.

Speaking of backpacking and Nutella, here’s another riveting fact you can throw out at your next social event. The number of jars of Nutella produced in 1 day stacked up equals almost 25 times the height of Mt. McKinley. Oh my gosh – who is eating all this stuff?

Back to the healthy version, which is the source and that’s always best. Hazelnuts are high in thiamine and vitamin B-6, as well as other B vitamins. Like the rest of the nut family, they’re high in fat (not bad fat though), so store in the refrigerator.

* Hazelnut meal/flour is naturally gluten-free, has a sweet, nutty flavor that I love, and adds richness to baked goods. It’s also low in carbohydrates and high in fiber and protein. It’s a great ingredient for GF pie crusts. Substitute 20 - 25% hazelnut flour in your recipe. Yum!

Okay, that’s enough nut talk for today. Part 3 in this nutty series will follow.

In good health,
Melissa

Nuts are a mainstay in my diet. I love them for lots of reasons, one being how versatile they are. I throw them in salads; blend them up to make nut butters and energy bars; use them to make granola and trail mix; add them to rice dishes; bake with them in the form of nut flours and meals; eat them by the handful; and on an on. There’s no limit when it comes to creative ways to use nuts in recipes. That’s what’s so great about cooking and baking – you get to make things up, color outside the lines, have fun, and not follow directions.

I’m going to provide you with a launching pad of information and some ideas about nuts. This post is part 1 in a nutty series.

Okay, what are these little gems?

If you guessed macadamia nuts, you’re right. Macadamias are large, spreading evergreen trees native to the rain forests of Australia. They were introduced to Hawaii and California in the 1880s and two of the original trees are still standing on the Berkeley campus of the University of California.

According to a 2003 study sited in The Journal of Nutrition, macadamia nuts, despite their high level of fat, favorably modified lipid profiles in men with high cholesterol levels. Organic macadamia nut oil offers a healthy one-to-one omega-3/omega-6 fatty acid ratio, has a higher smoking point than olive oil, is incredibly versatile, and tastes pretty yummy drizzled on fish, veggies, or salads. The chopped nuts taste great in baked goods, homemade trail mix, and tossed into spinach salads. It also makes for a nice (although rather expensive) moisturizing oil.

I love pecans – must be that sweet tooth of mine. I add them to my granola, put them in cookies, use them in my apple pecan cheesecake, and mix them into salads. They’re sweet and rich, but aren’t at the top of my nutritional profile list. They have a relatively high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids – the other way around is much better. They’re also high in calories.

On the other hand, they’re low in sodium and cholesterol. Plus they’re rich in manganese, which helps maintain normal blood sugar levels, promotes healthy thyroid function, and aids in keeping bones strong and healthy.

These are Brazil nuts and despite their name, the largest exporter of the nuts is Bolivia and not Brazil. The tree is huge, reaching 100 to 150 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 3 to 6.5 feet. It’s one of the largest trees in the Amazon rain forest, which I find fascinating. These trees often live for more than 500 years and can even reach 1,000 years old if conditions are right. Isn’t that cool?!

According to Wikipedia, Brazil nuts are harvested from wild collection rather than from plantations. This model is being advanced as a sustainable way of generating income from the rain forest without destroying it.

Brazil nuts are high in saturated fat and can be substituted for macadamia nuts in many recipes. They’re also commonly used in fruitcakes or pressed for oil. Brazil nuts are rich in selenium, magnesium, and thiamine. Some studies suggest selenium is protective against prostate cancer.

Shelled nuts that contain a lot of fat, like macadamias and Brazil nuts, become rancid fairly quickly, so store them in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!
Melissa