Allison Cafe

Growing up in Montana, one of my favorite tastes of summer was always fresh cherries from Flathead Lake. I remember having a huge flat of cherries in the house in the summertime. Their firm but juicy flesh and sweet taste were like no other fruit I had tasted. The only drawback was the pit, I used to hate having to deal with the cherry pits. I still do. Perhaps that is why it was so exciting when my mom sent us a cherry and olive pitter last year. Now we can throw back cherries and olives with ease!

I as looking at the calendar today and realized that cherry season is here, actually it is almost over, and it got me to thinking about the different types of cherries. And better yet, what else do I not yet know about this delicious fruit?

Out of My Cherry Pickn' Mind, The Domestic Nest

There are two main types of cultivated cherries, wild cherry, to which most cherry cultivators belong, and the sour cherry. Sour cherries are mostly used in cooking, although the Greek culture does enjoy a certain sour cherry drink. Both species have origins in Europe and western Asia. The two types cannot be cross pollinated, meaning that you will not be seeing a wild sour cherry combination, at least in the natural world, very soon. Cherries are not a cheap treat. This is mostly due to the fact that they are a labor intensive fruit. Irrigation, spraying, labor and their vulnerability to damage from rain and hail also make cherries expensive. Cherries, especially wild cherries, remain extremely popular, so demand is never an issue.

Cherries have a very short growing season. The peak season for cherries in North America is in June. In many parts of North America they are among the first tree fruits to ripen. In the United States, most sweet cherries are grown in Washington, California, Oregon, and Northern Michigan.

Cherries are not only tasty, they also contain health benefits. Cherries contain anthocyanins, the same red pigment in berries. Besides giving them their color, anthocyanins also act as powerful antioxidants. According to a 2008 study funded by the Cherry Marketing Institute, rats that received whole tart cherry powder mixed into a high-fat diet did not gain as much weight or build up as much body fat, and their blood showed much lower levels of inflammation indicators that have been linked to heart disease and diabetes. In addition, they had significantly lower blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides than the other rats. Studies like this one present some interesting findings, but the jury is still out on whether or not the same results are valid for humans. In the meantime I will enjoy my cherries knowing that eating 5-7 servings of fruits and veggies each day has a huge health benefit no matter what additional studies are still pending.

Well known sweet cherry types include “Bing”, “Brooks”, “Tulare”, “King” and “Rainier”. The Lambert variety is grown on the eastern side of Flathead Lake in northwestern Montana. I can personally attest to the tasty quality of the Lambert sweet cherries, yum. Both Oregon and Michigan provide light-colored “Royal Ann” or “Queen Anne” cherries for the maraschino cherry process. Most sour cherries are grown in Michigan, followed by Utah, New York, and Washington. Sour cherries include Nanking and Evans Cherry.

The sour cherry is a favorite in my family. Both for its use in baking as well as the Greek “Vyssinatha” or sour cherry drink. This Greek “medicine” is a family favorite and often used to cure upset stomachs, particularly after a large meal. It is easily made by adding sour cherries to a jar with a few simple ingredients and let it sit out in the sun for 40 days.

So there you have it, everything you wanted to know about cherries in order to enjoy them this season. Cherries are enjoyed best plain but as they start to ripen there are many great recipes to put them to further use. Enjoy!

Eating Fresh and Healthy Is Easier Than You May Think!

Did you know it is National Nutrition Awareness Month? While we should make an effort to eat healthy all year round, it doesn’t hurt to place extra attention on eating right this month. In 1980 the American Dietetic Association coined March as National Nutrition Month® in response to the growing public interest in eating right. The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. For more information, visit eatright.org/nnm. Eating healthy is not always easy when our lives get busy. That is why planning weekly menus and having access to a library of healthy recipes that are easy to prepare and inexpensive to stock are so key to eating right.

In celebration of eating right, we tried a new recipe this week that is so ridiculously easy and tasty for a weeknight side-dish, that its healthy benefits are an added bonus. Try this deconstructed version of guacamole the next time you are looking to work in some healthy vitamins and good fats.

Avocado, Cucumber and Tomato Salad

This is a great salad recipe, but also an alternative way to serve avocados instead of making guacamole. Not only is it easy, it is full of healthy nutrients and good fats.

Ingredients

1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half

2 hass avocados, sliced in half and then scored into 1inch squares

1 Japanese cucumber, un-peeled and sliced

1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped

1 tbsp Anaheim pepper, finely chopped

juice from ½ a fresh lemon, squeezed

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Toss all of the ingredients in a medium salad bowl. Serve immediately. (It’s that easy!)

Babycakes Vegan Chocolate Cupcake

By Allison Baloglu, for YourSmartKitchen

Something struck me as funny today. Chocolate is so often associated with sweet treats, but actually if you have ever sampled pure cocoa, it is actually bitter. And if you have ever read the ingredients on most chocolate bars, they have to add sugar to get the sweet flavor we enjoy. Sometimes the milk chocolate bars we have grown to love are less than 50% chocolate. Which means that for milk chocolate lovers, you may actually be more addicted to the sugar than the chocolate. And white chocolate does not even contain chocolate solids, it is simply cocoa butter, sugar and milk. But some good news for you dark chocolate lovers out there: dark chocolate is full of healthy antioxidants. Dark chocolate treats are usually over 65-70% chocolate solids, or cocoa, content.

So what’s so healthy about dark chocolate anyway? Chocolate contains flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants, which are found in a variety foods, protect the body from aging and promote good cardiovascular health. They do this by neutralizing “free radicals” in the body, which are molecules that cause cell damage. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants. And while there are several studies pending to determine exactly how many antioxidants there are in chocolate, there is significant evidence to suggest that a small serving of chocolate contains equal amounts to red wine, or other fruits and vegetables. Flavonoids can help lower blood pressure, lower LDL cholesterol, and balance certain hormones in the body.

Dr. Oz on Oprah, Antioxident Rich Foods

Still not sure I completely understood what an antioxidant really did, I watched an episode of Dr. Oz on Oprah’s television program. He conducted a visual representation that really clicked with me and helped me to understand how they perform. Common antioxidants are vitamins C, E and beta-carotene. So as an example Dr. Oz had a lemon, which contains vitamin C, and some apple slices on a table. He explained that the term antioxidant means just that, it combats oxidation. When you slice an apple it will turn brown when left out and exposed to oxygen. But, if you squeeze lemon juice on the apple it prevents, or at least delays, the oxidation process. Seeing that example made sense to me. So imagine those antioxidants, like vitamin C for example, are hard at work inside your body too. This is why consuming these vitamins has so many benefits, including keeping your skin looking young and firm. That must be why the Greeks say to make food your medicine!

Now, this does not mean that just because cocoa powder and dark chocolate contain all these health benefits that you can over indulge. Like with anything else in your diet, moderation is key. Chocolate when consumed as part of a balanced diet can be a heart healthy treat. In addition to tasting good and lowering blood pressure, it also stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure; it contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant; and it contains theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants. Theobromine by the way is the ingredient that makes this substance so toxic for pets. Their systems are not able to unable to metabolize the chemical effectively. So keep it to yourself and enjoy!

P.S.

I am going to be whipping up some tasty Valentines Day creations this week, stay tuned for Flourless Chocolate Cake, or Chocolate Souffle, whichever sounds tastier later this week!!

What is your favorite chocolate recipe? And remember, chocolate can be savory or sweet, it isn’t just for dessert!

Sweet Clementine

On a recent trip to Costco, I picked up an entire bag of clementines. Usually my husband and I buy our fruit in much smaller quantities, since it can go bad before we eat it all. But this time I thought back to a recent report I had read about the link between Vitamin C and smooth skin. Of course we all have heard about the Vitamin C as an immune system booster, but did you know that it also can help in many other ways, such as to prevent wrinkles in our skin? Vitamin C is a natural antioxidant, and has many health benefits from strengthening your immune system against colds, to reducing stress, possibly preventing cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer, and promoting healthy skin. You may buy expensive creams with Vitamin C in them, so why not try creating healthy skin from the inside out? (more…)

One of our favorite weekly routines is visiting the La Jolla farmer’s market on Sunday mornings, at the La Jolla Elementary School. Farmer’s markets are an easy, and fun way to eat local, fresh, and seasonal foods. In the summertime the farmer’s markets are alive with the sights and aromas of a whole wide variety of fruits and vegetables.  This week I couldn’t pass up the fresh peaches.  Peaches are not only a tasty treat, they are very nutritious:

Peach Nutrition Facts

• Peaches are very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium.
• They are a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Niacin and Potassium, and an excellent source of Vitamin C.
• 1 cup of sliced peaches is only about 60 calories and comes packed with 10% of Vitamin A, 17% of Vitamin C and 2% of Iron of a daily value(based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet).
• 1 cup of sliced peaches also counts as 2 servings of fruit for the day.
• A large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars. 1 cup of sliced peaches contains about 13 grams of sugar.

Curious how to pick the perfect peach?  Stay tuned!

Dry Powdered Soy Milk

At last, I have found it some where other than in my Amazon store!  I never would have thought that walking through Whole Foods in Hillcrest, San Diego would yield pure excitement as I walked down the soy milk aisle.  I wasn’t even looking for it, I was inadvertently walking down that aisle, when all of a sudden I saw it, Better Than Milk, dry powdered soy milk.  So of course I bought some and I am going to attempt the frosting from the Babycakes cookbook once again, hopefully with a better result in the consistency of the frosting this time equipped with the recommended ingredients!

I am one of those people that could eat breakfast foods for any meal of the day. I am a huge fan of pancakes and waffles, and they are always such a treat when we decide to make them at home. Until recently though, I had always thought of waffles as a unhealthy start to my day. That’s because the recipes that I was using called for all-purpose flour, lots of butter, and sugar. And sometimes when I was really bad, chocolate chips too, yum! Upon reading about the health benefits of whole wheat flour, oat bran and flaxseed meal, I decided to work them into my standard waffle recipe. The result? A hearty and healthy treat. Especially when paired with fresh fruits, such as bananas and blueberries. I made the waffles just this past week, which made for a very exciting and healthy Wednesday morning breakfast to start my workday. Buon Apetite!

Healthy and Delicious

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A Delicious New Creation

It’s been awhile since I shared a new smoothie recipe.  Today I decided to try a new concoction of mango, strawberry, blueberry and banana.  Mangoes are rich in nutrients such as fiber, vitamins C, D and E, and more; making it a “superfruit”.  The berries and banana also are rich in important vitamins and antioxidants. Even with the healthy fruit already in the blender, I didn’t stop there. I also tossed in Yo-Plus yogurt and wheat germ to add extra nutrition to the smoothie.

Wheat germ contains protein from the wheat berry, iron, folic acid and over 20 other valuable nutrients, such as potassium and vitamin E.  And don’t worry, the term “germ” doesn’t refer to anything gross, it refers to the process of germination of the wheat.  Athletes often use wheat germ to maintain cardiovascular function and improve endurance levels.

The new blend tasted creamy and had just the right amount of sweetness.  I don’t often use mango in smoothies, but I had bought a large container of already sliced mangoes from Costco a couple weeks ago, and froze half of the container.  Frozen fruit makes all the difference in a smoothie’s texture. You can get more of a milkshake like consistency, without having to add ice.  Here is the new recipe, enjoy! (more…)

This is my second attempt at making the healthy chocolate chip cookies from the newly released Babycakes cookbook. And I even though the first batch got rave reviews from my husband and his co-workers, I think this second batch turned out even better. Since Erin’s recipes in the cookbook have evolved from years of perfection, I followed the recipe EXACTLY last time. I learned my lesson when I didn’t read the recipe completely before making the cupcakes. Feeling a little more confident this time, I made some variations and they turned out scrumptious. Since I don’t have a gluten-free diet, I wanted to incorporate the whole wheat flour this time. And I also tried adding some shredded coconut as well. Yum! Once you try these, you won’t want to make the traditional version of chocolate chip cookies ever again!

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Recently I attended the book signing for Babycakes, a vegan and mostly gluten free baking cookbook by Erin McKenna. Enticed by the prospect of enjoying sweets with natural sweeteners and healthy ingredients, I made my first of several trips to Henry’s Market, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. As I walked the aisles seeking new ingredients, such as garbanzo-fava bean flour and coconut oil, I felt like I was entering a whole new world. I had never even thought to use these items in my baking before. Fortunately, I myself do not have any food allergies, that I know if anyway, that have forced me to experiment with gluten free baking. However, after learning about the many health benefits of coconut oil, flaxmeal, soy and natural sweeteners like agave nectar and evaporated cane juice, I was inspired to take my love for sweets to a healthier, and hopefully tastier, level.

I decided to start off by (more…)