Veggie Bee

I found this easy recipe a while ago and now I can’t find the source, but it’s very tasty and great to keep in the refrigerator for an extra fruit & veggie boost to your daily diet. It’s great to try with home-made baked potato “chips”, as a salad topping or with my new favorite jalapeno tortilla chips from Food Should Taste Good. They’re perfectly spicy! Food Should Taste Good has other flavors that I’m sure are delicious, but I always gravitate to the jalapeno flavor!  I promise to try the other flavors and give you a review.  I like these tortilla chips because they do not contain any artificial ingredients and they’re so tasty, but they are still 140 calories per ounce (as opposed to about 25 calories per ounce for home-made baked potato chips), so you should eat them with vegetables or vegetable dips like this salsa if you need help with portion control.  

I use the Trader Joe’s frozen mangos in place of fresh mango, just allow to defrost before mixing.

Ingredients
1 large mango, chopped
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime

Preparation
Combine mango, red onion, black beans, cilantro and jalapeno in a medium bowl. Squeeze lime juice over mixture. Stir well, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

What are your favorite salsa or healthy dip recipes??

Watermelon is great to enjoy year round but summertime is definitely its best season! At only 8 calories per ounce, or about 45 calories per cup, it can be a great way to increase your fruit intake and keep your calories low. Compare that to your typical cookie at 125 calories per ounce (yikes!) with no nutritional value and watermelon is an obvious choice for delicious healthy living. Enjoy it for dessert or as a snack, it is very filling and can satisfy your sweet tooth.

Quick Watermelon Cubes

• Take a quarter of a watermelon and lay it on the rind with the interior facing up.
• Place knife about 3/4 of an inch down from the peak of the wedge. Holding the knife parallel to the far side of the fruit and starting at edge of rind, cut a horizontal line through the fruit all the way down to the rind.
• Next, place the knife blade 3/4 of an inch lower and make the same cut. Repeat.
• Next, turn the fruit to the other side and make the same horizontal cuts.
• And last, starting at edge of the rind, make vertical cuts 3/4 inch apart all the way across. Cubes will tumble out ready to eat!

How to Choose a Watermelon

• Look the watermelon over. You are looking for a firm, symmetrical watermelon that is free from bruises, cuts or dents.
• Lift it up. The watermelon should be heavy for its size. Watermelon is 92% water, most of the weight is water.
• Turn it over. The underside of the watermelon should have a creamy yellow spot from where it sat on the ground and ripened in the sun.
• Thump it. The watermelon should have a deeper, hollow sound.

Watermelon Facts

• Watermelon has higher concentrations of lycopene than any other fresh fruit or vegetable. In fact, fresh watermelon contains higher levels of lycopene than fresh tomatoes - a 2-cup serving of watermelon contains and average of 18.16 mg and one medium-sized tomato contains 4 mg.
• A Watermelon is completely edible. While most of us relish the flesh part, the watermelon seeds can be roasted and eaten. Watermelon rind is used for making preserves, pickles and relish.
• Though watermelon is commonly considered as a fruit it is actually a vegetable! It is a member of the cucumber family and is kin to the gourd.

Try a new take on watermelon with this Watermelon Salsa recipe from Eating Well.

Makes 8 servings, 1/2 cup each

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

3 cups finely diced seedless watermelon (about 2 1/4 pounds with the rind)
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (about 1/2 bunch)
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup minced red onion (about 1/2 small)
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Place watermelon, jalapenos, cilantro, lime juice and onion in a medium bowl; stir well to combine. Season with salt. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 26 calories; 0 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 75 mg sodium.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (60% daily value).

Do you have any favorite watermelon recipes?? Or are you like me and just eat it straight out of the rind??

Asparagus is one of those power foods that should be included in any healthy diet. If you’re not a fan of asparagus by itself as a side dish, there are plenty of recipes that include it in the mix.

Check out these impressive facts for a cup of asparagus (134 grams):

• Contains only 27 calories and 3 grams of fiber! Definitely a high-volume low-calorie whole food.
• No fat or cholesterol.
• 3 grams of protein.
• Minerals such as potassium and iron.
• Vitamins such as vitamin C, folacin, thiamine and B6.

Now pick a recipe to try this week and keep me posted on which recipes are your favorites for asparagus!

• Martha Stewart ~ a fantastic collection of asparagus recipes, you’re bound to find something you like here.
• Fitness Magazine ~ a simple roasted asparagus recipe for a side dish in no time at all.
• 101 Cookbooks ~ Asparagus Stir Fry ~ I really love this blog for all kinds of interesting recipes, mainly vegetarian and whole food ideas and beautiful food pics.
• California Asparagus Commission ~ they’re not kidding around about asparagus, everything you always wanted to know you can find here.
• Michigan Asparagus Advisory board brochure (pdf) ~ simple and easy-to-follow recipe ideas.

Asparagus is a wonderful whole food and you don’t have to worry about additives or preservatives. Go organic and buy locally and that’s as close to an ideal food that you can get!

I’m going to make the Asparagus Stir Fry from 101 Cookbooks this weekend. Which recipe looks good to you?? Do you have a favorite recipe for asparagus??

A simple and easy way to add new veggies to your life is to try roasting them. Roasting brings out a wonderful flavor and texture of your veggies and are great additions to salads, soups, dips and even as pizza toppings!

Roasting doesn’t have to require a lot of oil, try using nonstick cooking spray on the pan and over the veggies, or use a Misto Olive Oil Sprayer to control the amount of olive oil you use.

Check out these links for more tips and recipes for roasting all types of veggies:

• Hot Properties ~ from the San Diego Union Tribune, it includes several recipes like Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower with Lemon and Garlic.
• Roasted Vegetables: Recipes & Tips ~ From WebMD Health Center, it includes some info on how to roast garlic.
• Ratatouille of Roasted Vegetables ~ a recipe from Eating Well. This recipes uses a minimal amount of oil to lower fat and calories while maximizing the flavor of roasting.
• Balsamic Roasted Vegetables ~ a recipe from Epicurious. To lower the fat and calories, use less oil than the recipe calls for and check out the reviews for variations on the recipe.

My favorite veggie combo for roasting has been eggplant, zucchini and red peppers!

Do you roast vegetables regularly??  What’s your favorite combination of vegetables to roast??