Friday, March 30, 2012

Onions 101



Onions, also known as the allium cepa, are a part of the allium family. There are more than 300 species of alliums including garlic, leeks, chives, green onions, and shallots. Alliums make up one of the most important culinary plant families adding delicious dimensions to many dishes! Since it is used quite often, I wanted to share a little more about the onion and demonstrate how I was taught to dice an onion properly in my food science class in college.

Onions 101  
Nutrition facts: Studies suggest that onions may help in lowering high blood pressure, reduce risk of heart attacks, and may even help protect us against cancer which is likely due to the presence of phytochemicals and flavonoid quercetin. 
1 cup chopped raw onion = 64 calories, 3 grams fiber, 2 grams protein, 20% Vitamin C, 4 % Calcium, and 2% Iron. 

Types:
Fresh and Storage

Season:
 
Fresh onions arrive spring and early summer - spring onions, sweet onions, scallions and leeks. 
Storage onions are picked at the peak of summer harvest season - pearl, cipollini, torpedo, red onions, and shallots. 
The perfect pick:

Look for the ones with dry, clean, paper-thin skin, and make sure that the onions are firm and heavy for their size. Choose firm bulbs with no soft spots, bruises, or other signs of damage. When picking garlic look for the bulb that is tightly closed and hard. Check for moldy spots, especially with fresh onions.
1 pound of onions = 3 cups sliced or about 4 servings of cooked onions
Storage:
 
Spring onions - use soon after you buy them as they will only keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days. 
Sweet onions - if you plan to use within a week or so then you can leave them out on the counter. Longer storage put in a cool, dark place like an open brown paper bag or loose in the crisper drawer of your fridge on top of a piece of newspaper to keep them dry (avoid plastic bags to prevent molding from their juices). 
Storage onions - keep for months in a cool, dry, dark place. 
Cut Onions - use within a day or two. 

Another great thing to know is if your recipe doesn't call for all the onions you just cut, put the leftover raw chopped onion in a heavy duty plastic zip-top bag and freeze it for the next time you need to use an onion.
How to manage the tears and smells:
Tears - some things that I have found that works for me is to peel and chill in the refrigerator before slicing then use a sharp knife and good technique to get the job over and done with as fast as possible.
Smells - rub hands with a little of lemon juice or try rubbing fingertips on stainless steel (either run on a bowl of a stainless steel spoon under warm running water or rub the stainless steel kitchen faucet).

Preparing an onion:
Peeling small onions like shallots, pearl or cipollinis - place in a large bowl, cover with boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain. The skins should come of easily.

My demonstration of how to dice an onion properly:
(Sorry if the pics are little blurry - I had my husband take them and let's just say he's not that into picture taking ;)

1) Trim one end off but leave much of the root intact (I prefer to cut the stem end to delay cutting the root end which has the stronger odor). This way you will have one end to keep your fingers on while cutting.


2) Cut in half from end to end.

3) Peel each half. 
 4) Lay one half on it's cut side. Make one or two horizontal cuts (how many cuts depends on the size of the onion), keeping the knife parallel to the cutting board - be careful not to cut through the root end. 



5) Make parallel vertical cuts from the root end to the cut end, again make sure not to cut through the root end. Space the cuts as wide as you want your dice to be.

6) Make a series of cuts perpendicular to the previous cuts, space them out as wide as you want the dice to be. Hint: Keep the fingers on the onion curled so you want cut your fingertips off!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

High Intake of Red and Processed Meats linked to Cancer Mortality

A new study came out earlier this month from the Archives of Internal Medicine that observed 37, 698 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2008) and 83,644 women from the Nurses' Health Study (1980-2008) found that a higher intake of red and processed meats (1 serving of processed meats or 3oz of red meat per day) were associated with significantly higher risk of heart disease and cancer mortality.
Read more about this study, go to:
Archives of Internal Medicine - Red Meat Consumption and Mortality

The American Institute of Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society have recommended for some time now to limit intake of red and processed meats to reduce cancer risk because of studies like this and many others.

This does not mean that you have to completely stop eating red and processed meats al together. Reduce your risk of cancer by limiting your intake to no more than 18 ounces of cooked meat (about 24 ounces of uncooked meat) per week.

What foods are considered red and processed meats?
Red meat refers to pork, beef, lamb.
Processed meats refer to meats preserved by adding preservatives, smoking, salting or curing such as bacon, ham, deli meats, salami, hot dogs, sausages, pastrami, etc.

How can you cut back your red and processed meat intake to ensure adequate protein intake and lower your risk of cancer?
Substitute with fish, poultry, legumes (beans), soy, low fat dairy products, and whole grains.
Try to aim for meals made up of 2/3 (or more) vegetables, fruit, whole grains, or beans and only 1/3 (or less) of animal protein.
This was sent to me by my brother, Jack. This is a great example of a healthy plate!

Share some examples of your healthy plate in the comment section of this post!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Arugula and Basil Pesto

Pesto is one of my favorite things because it is not only delicious, it is also very versatile. It can be used for so many different dishes and can be made with an array of different ingredients. Pesto is obviously great on pasta but can also be used with meats and fish, on sandwiches, on top of cream cheese with sun dried tomatoes, on pizza, and so much more! The most traditional and basic pesto originated in Genoa, in the Liguria region of northern Italy, and consisted of crushed genovese basil, fresh garlic, and European raw or roasted pine nuts then mixed with Liguria extra virgin olive oil and two hard cheeses (Parmigiana Reggiano and Pecorino). The word pesto translated in Italian is pestare meaning to crush, pound as pesto was traditionally made with a mortar and pestle.



A few things to know about pesto:
1. Add oil slowly to allow the sauce to fully emulsify so all the ingredients are uniformed and bind together.
2. Pesto on pasta is usually too thick right out of the food processor so you will need to add some of the pasta cooking liquid to get the pesto to coat the pasta (add small amounts of pasta liquid at a time to avoid it from getting too soupy).
3. Fresh pesto can last up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
4. Store your extra nuts in the freezer as they can go rancid very quickly and nuts (especially pine nuts) are very expensive
5. Toast nuts for pesto to bring out the flavor, bake on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees F for about 5-10 minutes. Make sure to stir frequently and keep a close eye on it so they won't burn.
6. Basil (or whatever green you decide to use) must be crisp and fresh, not soggy or wilted.
7. Don't cook with pesto as it will turn brown and the cheese will stick to the pan - learned this from experience ;)

I made an Arugula and Basil Pesto this week and it turned out perfectly! If you don't have basil or Arugula you can use just one of those or substitute with fresh spinach. It's so easy to use the already washed greens. You can also substitute the pine nuts for walnuts. Switch it up and figure out what works best for you!

Arugula and Basil Pesto
*Makes 1 cup*

Ingredients:
1 cup (packed) fresh arugula
1 cup (packed) fresh basil
1 garlic clove
1/4 tsp salt, optional
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, add more to taste or omit if you don't like pepper
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)
1 tsp grated lemon zest (from the half of lemon you used to get lemon juice)
1/3 cup olive oil (use good extra virgin oil)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (you might want to splurge and get the Parmigiana Reggiano)

Directions:
1. In a food processor or blender, pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper until finely chopped.
2. Keep processor running and slowly add the oil until it is smooth and a think consistency.
3. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
4. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Use the pesto to your heart's desire! I have been putting it on whole wheat french bread with prosciutto and arugula with a small amount of Manchego cheese then grilling in saute pan with olive oil lightly brushed on each side and I used a metal spatula to press sandwich - YUM!









Thursday, March 1, 2012

Running for the Fight

Susan is the cute girl in the blue :)
This week for my Oncology Nutrition segments, I wanted to feature my dear friend, Susan Angerholzer! Susan is running the Rock'n'Roll half marathon in New Orleans benefiting American Cancer Society this coming up weekend on March 4! She ran the same race last year and accomplished a tremendous goal of personal achievement but this year her motivation is more than just another personal goal, she's running for the fight, the fight against cancer. Susan joined the American Cancer Society DetermiNation Team and is raising money to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

Cancer is something that affects everyone, it doesn't just stop at the cancer patient but extends to their families, friends, and to their communities. Think of someone that you know who has cancer and how it has affected those around them. Since working on the oncology unit in the hospital and having a close friend's father die recently of cancer at a young age, I have seen how it affects everyone around them. Cancer continues to grow and touch more and more lives around the world.

According to the American Cancer Institute:
-In 2012, about 1,638,910 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed and 577,190 Americans are expected to die of cancer (more than 1,500 people a day!)
-Cancer is the second most cause of death in the US (heart disease is the first) and accounting for nearly 1 of every 4 deaths
-Cancer survival has improved to 67% between 2001 and 2007 from 49% in 1975-1977.
-Childhood cancer incidence rates (rates of new diagnoses) continued to increase while death rates in this age group decreased (19 years of age and younger).

Susan will run another 1/2 marathon this weekend and with the money that she raises her race will not stop at the finish line this year but will continue and help those suffering with cancer have a fighting chance.

Join Susan and the efforts of the American Cancer Society! Ways you can help in the fight against Cancer:

1. Support Susan and her desire to make a difference by raising money for research so that they can find cures and save lives, provide better services for those with cancer and their loved ones affected, and so much more! Support Susan this weekend by making a donation: Donate
2. Participate. Join a DetermiNation team or Relay for Life in your area or go to a different place in the country you've been wanting to visit, for more info go to http://determination.acsevents.org/ or Relay for life
3. Do everything you can for yourself to prevent cancer - maintain a healthy weight by eating smart and being active, know when you should get screened for cancer and get screened then, and quit smoking. Go to www.cancer.org for more information.
4. Get more involved in your community and help those with cancer and those affected. 
If you're living in the Nashville area, one way to get involved is by visiting the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center website to find out ways you can help and volunteer. Go to: VICC support.

Please provide any comments on other ways to get involved in your community. 

Good Luck Susan on your race this weekend!!! We will be cheering for you!!