How To Peel, Cut, Core, and Dice: Tips for Fruit and Vegetable Prep

The Kitchn has compiled a super-handy list of 20 tips and how-to's for prepping various fruits and vegetables. Some of the more interesting entries:

How to peel a head of garlic in 10 seconds. Two bowls, a solid surface, and you're 10 seconds away from a bunch of naked garlic cloves.
How to peel roasted red peppers.
How to cut a mango.
How to dice an avocado.
How to dice an onion.
How to core a head of iceberg lettuce.
How to seed a pomegranate.

See the full list of 20 items.

BLT's -- without the bread

Once locally grown tomatoes are in season in Kansas, I always start craving BLT's! (Bacon-lettuce-tomato sandwich, for any poor souls who are unacquainted with this little bite of summer.)

I made some homemade bread last week just for this. Added some smoked turkey to punch up the protein. But to keep my carbs and proteins (sort of) in balance, I limit myself to one piece of bread per meal. After devouring one delicious BLT -- ripe, sweet juiciness of the tomato contrasting with the salty crunch of the bacon -- I wanted more! Looking hungrily at the remaining tomatoes and bacon, I wondered if the bread were really necessary.

So I took a bit of romaine, smeared it with a little mayo, and topped it with tomato and bacon. Added a slice of avocado to some of them. Oh yeah! It's all the best flavors and textures of a BLT, without the carbs! Perfect for the gluten free, low carb, Paleo or Whole30 diet. They'd make a great snack or appetizer, too.

A couple notes to make them healthier: choose nitrate/nitrite-free bacon; look for a mayo that contains no corn syrup. Or make your own! I like this super-easy 4-ingredient mayo recipe.

The cookie thief

A few days ago, my dear daughter made a batch of oatmeal cookies, and at my request, put pepitas in them; roasted, salted, dehulled pumpkin seeds. I like the little extra crunch and subtle saltiness they add. (And I love having my DD home, but it does make it harder to kick the sugar monster!)

I had set up a few cookies in my high tech studio (aka, a bench from the kitchen table, pulled up close to the sliding glass door so as to catch some indirect sunlight). I stepped away to get something from the office, but when I came back something wasn't quite right.


Here's the before:

And here's the after:

Hmm... One cookie seems to be missing. Now, who could the culprit be?

Oh, I just can't get mad at that adorable face!

Kicking the sugar habit? Here's the most important thing to know.

Sugar really can be quite addicting.  Dr Eric Stice has famously said, “Sugar activates the brain similar to the way cocaine reacts”. I think that those who call it "toxic" are going overboard, though. As Dr. David L. Katz says, "the dose makes the poison." And Americans are definitely over-dosing. On average, American adults eat about 100 pounds of sugar a year. (Source.)

(Click these links for some stunning graphics showing how much sugar and corn syrup the average American consumes in a day, week, month, year and lifetime. Care for a dip in a hot-tub full of corn syrup, anyone?)

I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia in high school, so I was trained early on to stay away from or at least go easy on sugar, but later in life, I got a little sloppy with it. Eventually, between my weight gain, migraines, and moods, I finally realized that I needed to get back to that super-cautious approach to sugar.

Here's a short video by "Mama Natural" with some tips for kicking the white stuff:

I especially want to note this point that she mentions in passing:

Eating sugar creates craving for more sugar. 

Understanding this made a big difference for me. Before I realized this, I might indulge in some sweets a few times a week because, hey, a little now and then isn't that bigga deal, right? But the sweet itself isn't the only cost: it can kick off bigger cravings one or two hours later, and depending on your vulnerability, those cravings might last for days. As I've made clear before, I do believe in the occasional indulgence for very special occasions. But when I do, I know I've got to get back on the no-sugar horse the very next day and tough out the cravings until they subside.

The great thing is, the reverse is also true. The more you stay off of sugar and other white carbs, the more your cravings will subside. The first week or two is gonna be tough, but after that it gets lots, lots easier. If you are physically addicted to sugar, you may need to do a slower withdrawal in order to manage bothersome side effects. For more info, see this article on how to get through sugar withdrawal.

So if you're trying to punt the sugar monster, hang in there! You'll be glad you did!



* Find Just Me(gan)'s blog at http://tallydogs.wordpress.com/

10 snacks you thought were healthy -- but aren't

Bon Appetit recently published a list of snacks that have a "health food aura" about them, but are either not all that great for you, or are downright unhealthy.

Granola. Eye the ingredients, and pay attention to the carb-protein ratio, and the amount of fiber. Some of these are really no better than sugar-coated cereal.

Smoothies. If not made at home with wholesome ingredients, these are usually sugar- and calorie-bombs.

Low-fat cheese. This is interesting: a study out of Harvard has identified a natural substance in dairy fat -- yes, fat -- that may substantially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Fat-free salad dressing. These are almost always crammed with extra sugar and/or corn syrup to make up for the texture and flavor lost to fat. Once you make your own salad dressings, you'll be amazed at how easy it is and you'll never go back to store-bought! A few of my faves:
- Creamy balsamic vinaigrette (This page also includes the easiest recipe ever: 1-2-3 Dressing.)
- Ginger-peanut dressing
- Almost-Panera's Asian dressing
- Easy Tex-Mex: equal amounts of Greek yogurt and salsa, then a bit of taco seasoning - easy and delish! See my make-ahead Tex-Mex salad.

Rice cakes. Fairly void of any decent nutrients, they're really just empty calories. Chocolate or cinnamon ones are just empty calories with sugar added.

Pretzels. Proof that "fat free" doesn't equal healthy. They're basically white bread with an egg wash and a bunch of salt.

Veggie burgers. They sound inherently healthy, but frozen veggie burgers can contain more processed filler ingredients and sodium than actual vegetables or beans.

Diet sodas. Sweeteners may increase sugar or carbohydrate cravings, and if consumed in great quantity, may actually impact weight gain.

Others on the list: Bran muffin. Whole-wheat wrap. (See the original article.)

See my lists of ways to sneak healthier choices into your snacks and meals.

Ina Garten's "guacamole" salad

The recipe is Ina's; the photo is mine!

Looking for a quick, easy dish to take to a Fourth of July party today? This is it! You can whip it up in about 10 minutes, and although it might taste better if it sits for a bit, you can serve it right away. And because it has no mayo, you don't need to worry about it sitting at room temp for a few hours. Perfect for a potluck, barbeque or picnic! Plus, it's just chock full of healthy stuff, and has no sugar in the dressing!

The recipe is from Ina Garten, and although she calls it "Guacamole Salad," I think of it as avocado salad.

I do make a few minor tweaks. Being the spice wimp I am, I leave out the jalapeno and cut back on the cayenne. But I also add in some chopped cilantro. And after making it the first time, I think I'll double the avocado next time.

It's so yummy, I could eat it straight out of the bowl. For lunch. And I have!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad - sugar free, gluten free, without CoolWhip!

Ever since I saw the recipe for Strawberry Pretzel Salad at MyBakingAddiction, I've wanted to create a sugar-free, lower-carb version. It took a couple tries to get the proportions right, but here it is!

Why is it called Strawberry Pretzel Salad instead of Strawberry Pretzel Dessert, or Strawberry Pretzel Pie? It seems that back in the days when Jello was a new-fangled thing, anything that combined jello with fruit was labeled "salad." And this is an old-timey recipe. The fact that it's survived tells you it's good! (Unlike one of my mom's favorite jello salads, which featured grated carrots in orange jello, topped with cream cheese and grated cheddar cheese. Bleck!)

To imitate the crunchy, salty crust without using actual pretzels, I went with a combination of chopped nuts. Specifically, pecans and salted pepitas. Pepitas are pumpkin seeds that have been dehulled and roasted. All of the pepitas and some of the pecans get a coarse chop, while the rest of the pecans get finely ground. The large nut pieces provide the kind of crunch you'd get from the larger chunks of pretzel, while the finely ground pecans serve as the butter that helps everything stick together. The pepitas have a more delicate crunch, while the pecans provide a sort of buttery flavor like the crust of pretzels. You could make this with just pecans, but if you want that salty kick, you'd need to add extra salt to the recipe.

You can use either 4-oz. Mazon jars -- or any other 4-oz. dish -- or 7-oz. ramekins; your serving number will vary accordingly. The neat thing about using Mason jars is that if a guest is too full for dessert, you can pop a lid on their jar and send it home with them! Lidding all the jars would also be handy if you're transporting your dessert somewhere and need to stack them. Perfect for a picnic or potluck!

Update: Thanks to questions by readers, I've now included the nutrition count at the end of this post. This dessert is certainly not NO-carb, and it does have far more carbs than protein, but it's still a lower carb recipe than the traditional strawberry pretzel salad. And sugar-free and grain-free!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad/Dessert

Fills 21 4-oz Mason jars, or 10-12 ramekins.


2/3 c. salted pepitas, chopped coarsely
2/3 c. pecan pieces, chopped coarsely
1 c. pecan pieces, ground fine
1/4 t. kosher salt
30 pkts. Splenda (or 1.25 c. granular Splenda) (OR LESS)
2  8-oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 c. whipping cream
1  0.6-oz. package sugar-free strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1  16-oz. package frozen sliced strawberries - no sugar added

Chop the pepitas and the smaller portion of pecans until they are mostly pea-sized and smaller. Grind the larger portion of pecans until they are beginning to stick together. (For method, see my recipe for lime cheesecake shooters.)

The pepitas, before and after:

And the pecans, finely ground and coarsely chopped:

Combine the nuts and salt, and stir until well mixed. 

Place 2 T. into each 4 oz. mason jar (or 1/4 c. into each 7 oz. ramekin). Tamp down lightly using a clean bottle or jar that's smaller than the opening of your serving dishes. (This photo is recycled from a shooter recipe.)

In a medium bowl, beat the Splenda, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. 

Whip the cream till soft peaks form. Using the lowest setting on your mixer, gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, just until even in color. (Overbeating will turn the cream to butter.) 

Spoon this filling into a gallon-sized baggie and snip off the tip of the bag. You may want to do this in two batches to make it easier to handle. 

A side note... The first time I made these, I thought I'd skip the hassle of using a baggie and just carefully spoon the filling into the jars. Here's the result: on the left is the jar I spooned filling into; on the right is the jar where I piped the filling in. Much neater!

Evenly divide the filling between each jar. Place the jars into the refrigerator for about 1 hour. Placing all the jars in a large cake pan will make transporting them to and from the fridge easier.

After the cream filling is chilled, make the jello. In a medium bowl, stir together the gelatin mix and boiling water. Stir in frozen strawberries. Place the bowl into the refrigerator for three or four minutes. This will allow the gelatin to firm up a bit. 

Evenly spoon the gelatin between each the jars. A small gravy ladle works well for this. 

Also, having the jars in a cake pan while you fill them will save your counter tops from jello stains if, like me, you spill a little.

Place jars back into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Serve chilled.

Here's the nutrition count, based on 21 servings, erythritol for the sweetener, (via myfitnesspal.com):

Amount Per Serving; % Daily Value *
Calories 205
Total Fat 19 g	29 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	7 %
Monounsaturated Fat 6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 29 mg	10 %
Sodium 111 mg	5 %
Potassium 124 mg	4 %
Total Carbohydrate 14 g	5 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g	5 %
Sugars 3 g
Protein 5 g	11 %
Vitamin A	8 %
Vitamin C	31 %
Calcium	5 %
Iron	8 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet,

Basil on my windowsill -- got roots!

Even if I plant nothing else, I plant at least one basil every summer. There's nothing like it! Dried basil might as well be from another planet for all the similarity its scent holds to the real deal.

This year, I got a late start, and all the basil starts were pretty leggy. So after I potted it up, I snipped off the uppermost sprigs, to encourage doubling. I didn't have immediate plans for the cuttings, but not wanting to waste this precious resource, I stuck them in a small jar of water and set that on my north-facing window sill.

A few days later, I was surprised to see that the cuttings were putting out roots!

They continued rooting for several days. I'm sure I could have potted these up, too, but I ended up using them in a fabulous salmon dish I'll post here soon!