Fruit Tart

This recipe is one of my absolute favorites. It’s easy; it’s made from 100% healthy, whole foods; it’s delicious; and it’s pretty enough to serve to guests. I’ve been waiting until spring to post it, because it’s perfect for spring and summer BBQs. But another reason I love this recipe is because it doesn’t have to be a dessert. You can just as easily serve this for breakfast on top of some yogurt or oatmeal.

I adapted the recipe from one I found on the World’s Healthiest Foods website (here). I just added a few things – almonds, other berries, and some fresh lemon juice. And, I reduced the honey because I think the berries make it sweet enough. I’ve passed this recipe along to some family and friends and it always gets great reviews. You can make it with any type of fruit – I’ve done all berries but I also made one last summer with peaches and blueberries.

The nutritional value is pretty obvious: berries, nuts, dates. And we learned Tuesday that frozen berries can be just as nutritious as fresh, so if you don’t want to spend a fortune on fresh organic berries, frozen will work really well. Usually I use a mix of fresh and frozen, but today I used all frozen. I chose cherries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries.

Oh, and we usually serve this with ice cream. I’m hoping I have time today to pick some up! (Don’t worry Ed, I’ll make time).

Recipe

2 ½ cups walnuts (I used about 1 ¾ cups walnuts, ¾ cup almonds)

1 ½ cups dates (don’t forget to buy pitted dates or remove them yourself, which only takes a few minutes and saves money)

5 cups fresh or frozen berries (or any fruit)

2 tbsp raw honey

1 ½ tbsp arrowroot

2 tbsp water, or juice from frozen berries

1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Combine nuts and pitted dates in food processor until well ground, but not smooth (about 45 seconds for me). Press into a pie pan and refrigerate.

Thaw the frozen fruit. Place 2 cups of fruit, water, and arrowroot into food processor or blender and puree. (If you’re using some frozen and some fresh fruit, use the frozen for this part).

Place puree into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 4 minutes. When puree thickens, remove from heat. Mix into a bowl with the other fruit, raw honey, and fresh lemon juice. Pour mixture into tart shell, cover, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours (or more) before eating.

I made this when I got up this morning, but had pulled the recipe out last night and set it on the counter. Apparently Ed saw it and decided to add something… see below.

(In case my iphone photo isn’t clear enough, it says “1 happy husband” – ha! It's his favorite dessert and he always will casually ask when I'm going to make it again!)

Enjoy!

Berries: Fresh or Frozen?

If you read yesterday’s post about blackberries vs. blueberries, you learned that they are both excellent super-fruits that have outstanding health benefits. But I got a good question – are frozen just as good as fresh?

It’s a great question, because frozen fruit is so convenient and also less expensive. Frozen blueberries and cranberries are a regular item on my grocery list, because we use them in smoothies and hot cereal and yogurt and pancakes. Fresh berries are sometimes hard to come by in the middle of winter, and if you’re someone who relies on blueberries or cranberries or blackberries for your daily dose of antioxidants, frozen is your only option.

So what does freezing do to the nutrient value of a berry?

This depends on when the berry was frozen. Obviously, if you’re at a berry farm picking berries, it will have the maximum amount of nutrients if you pop it into your mouth right there on the spot. Since berries (and all fruits and veggies) begin to lose nutrients immediately after being picked, they will retain most of their nutrients if frozen right away. A berry frozen right after picking will have more nutrients than a berry that was picked somewhere across the country and then packaged, transported by truck, stocked in your grocery store, and eventually ended up in your refrigerator. The berries will be losing nutrients every step of the way, and by the time they make it to your house, they may only have a few days of life left.

Freezing preserves the nutrients, and the more quickly the fruit is frozen, the better. Freezing inhibits growth of microorganisms and prevents enzymes in the fruit from activating. This is what helps to preserve essential vitamins and nutrients.

Berries that are frozen whole (sometimes you find frozen sliced strawberries or frozen pureed berries) are best because they retain more of the nutrients. Anytime you work with the berries (cutting, removing stems) prior to freezing, you risk nutrient loss, particularly vitamin C loss.

One thing to watch out for when choosing frozen berries: make sure they are unsweetened. Many times frozen fruit will have sugar added and when you thaw the fruit, it will be sitting in a thick, sugary syrup (gross). This not only destroys nutrients, but it provides many unnecessary sugars to your body. Until you find a brand you can trust, I’d read every label to make sure the only ingredient is the fruit itself.

Frozen berries are wonderful for so many things. When berries are not in season, I recommend frozen berries because they are much less expensive and probably have more nutrients than the fresh ones in the grocery store. One brand I really like is Stahlbush Island Farms. It’s a farm in Oregon that is 100% natural and certified sustainable. But when berries are in season, there’s nothing like fresh berries for breakfast or any time of day, for that matter. Depending on where you live, I recommend trying to plant your own berries too. One of my great childhood memories was picking the raspberries from the bush in our backyard and immediately using them on our cereal or ice cream.

Below is a photo of our little raspberry bush in Denver. It looks healthy to me and I hope we get fruit eventually!

Now I'm off to make breakfast. Ed's request? Blueberry pancakes!

How to Choose & Store Foods: Apples, Strawberries, Potatoes

These are three foods that are currently fresh and local in Colorado (strawberries are from neighboring state Oklahoma). Yesterday I wrote about the benefits of eating food that is seasonal and local, and today I will give you some tips on how to choose the right piece of fruit or vegetable.

Apples

If you are eating the apple fresh as a snack or with lunch or dinner, choose an apple that is firm and free of bruises or brown spots. It should appear nearly ripe. If you give it a little tap or flick near the stem, you should hear a dull thud. If it sounds hollow, that means the apple is too ripe. The softness or mushiness in an apple is a sign of oxidation, meaning some of the nutrients have been destroyed. We should always try to get the most nutrients out of our produce. Remember – it starts losing nutrients as soon as it’s picked. This is why trips to the apple orchard are great in the fall months. You can pick your own apples and they will be more nutrient-dense than any apple you’d find at the grocery store! However, if your apples at home do turn soft and become overripe, you can use them to make applesauce or pie. These types of apples are perfect for baking.

Typically, the rounder the apple the younger it is. When they start to elongate, it means they’ve been on the tree longer. The younger apples will be more flavorful and, in my opinion, are preferable.

Storage is an important part of the apple process as well. All apples should be stored in the fridge so they stay fresh longer. They’ll last a couple of weeks in your fridge, whereas apples in the fruit bowl on the counter will begin to rot much sooner. If you are trying to soften apples up for pie or sauce, keep them out on the counter.

Strawberries

Strawberries don’t last as long as apples, so buy them right before you plan on eating them. They should be bright red and still have their green stems attached. If they appear mushy or have mold on them, search for a better container. With strawberries, I always look closely at the bottom and sides of the clear container to make sure there is no mold or crushed berries. Strawberries are expensive, and I always want to get the most out of the container I buy!

Have you ever been to a farmer’s market and gotten those really small strawberries? If so, you probably noticed how sweet they were. As with many fruits, the smaller the berry, the sweeter it will be. Sometimes the huge ones are a bit more sour and less flavorful.

When you bring them home, inspect the strawberries more closely and remove any moldy or mushy ones before putting the rest in the refrigerator. They will stay fresh for 2-3 days in there, but if you leave them on the counter they will spoil quickly. When you’re ready to eat them, wash the berries well. Strawberries are known for being covered in herbicides and pesticides, so I give them a good (but gentle) scrub before eating.

Potatoes

Whether you’re choosing sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, purple potatoes, or red potatoes, you want to look for ones that are firm, fairly even-shaped, and have few or no blemishes. I like to buy my potatoes from the bulk section rather than in prepackaged bags, because I’ve had bad experiences in the past. Sometimes when you buy a bag it’s hard to tell if all the potatoes are fresh, and so you may end up tossing out some of the rotten ones when you get home.

Make sure your potatoes are not sprouting anywhere on the skin. Sprouting indicates a toxic substance has formed in the potato, and this substance is linked to things like headaches and diarrhea. If you notice any of your potatoes have sprouted, toss them out right away. If the sprouts are very small, you can just shave off that part of the potato and eat it right away.

Potatoes should be stored in cool, dry places such as basements, garages, or pantries. Do not refrigerate them as they will harden and the starches will turn into sugars, altering the flavor. If you keep them on the counter they will rot more quickly. (I am guilty of keeping ours on the counter because I know if I hide them in some cupboard, I’ll totally forget we have them!). They should last a couple of weeks if chosen and stored properly. Potatoes cooked with the skin on retain more nutrients. They’re a great food not only for dinners but also as snacks. Sweet potatoes are especially great for babies and kids, because they taste good and are nutritious.

Tomorrow: Spinach, oranges, asparagus!