A Taste of Borough Market in London

My husband and I recently went to Europe in June on an amazing trip. The last week of our trip we stopped in London to visit my sister-in-law and her family, we had  a great time visiting and spending time in London. While we were there we went to Borough Market in Southwark, London. I've been dying to go ever since I saw it on the Food Network and needless to say it exceeded my expectations! For those of you who aren't familiar with Borough Market, it is considered one of the largest farmer's markets in the world and in my opinion one of the most unique. It opened in 1851 and is the best wholesale fruit and vegetable market that I'd ever laid my eyes on! The market has a vast array of produce, rare meats, fine cheeses and wines, gourmet food and beautifully crafted sweet treats! A place where you could spend all day wondering and tasting everything it has to offer. We went on a Saturday and shopped for a BBQ we were having later that evening and treated ourselves to a few different lunch options. Everything was so fresh and simply delicious! It's a must do if you go to London! 
Here are some of the pictures that I took while I was trying to soak it all up!

My brother-in-law and his daughter enjoying the market!

                                      Fruits and Vegetables...

 

Beer vs. Diet Coke

Check out my blog post on Style BluePrint! Which one would you choose, Beer or Diet Coke? Just go to the link below to find out more or go to www.styleblueprint.com then look under the Nashville section to find it.

 Style Blueprint - Beer vs. Diet Coke

Tomato Avocado Truffle Sandwich

I am back from my blogging sabbatical and I have a lot to share about summer cooking! Summer is my favorite time of year for eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Nothing taste better to me than local seasonal produce! There is so much to choose from like peaches, berries, corn, okra, tomatoes, bell peppers, squash, and zucchini just to name a few. Fresh local seasonal produce taste the best and has great nutritional value especially versus something more processed. It's also the time when it's the most affordable. And it's the perfect time to try different things and buy as many colors as possible to get all the nutrients you need from your fruit and vegetables. 

   
Tomatoes are the essence of summer! It's hard to beat the flavor of a juicy, ripe tomato! They are also full of lycopene, a powerful cancer-fighting antioxidant. 

Picture taken at Borough Market in London in June

Season: Tomatoes peek in June to September.The perfect pick: Look for tomatoes with intact skins and no bruises, firm but give a little when applying pressure, bright and deep colors (but only if you know what the variety should look like when ripe), and make sure to smell for a sweet and earthy fragrance. Heirloom tomatoes can be tricky because they can be odd shaped with cracks but just make sure that they aren't leaking.
Storage: Leave tomatoes at room temperature until you're ready to use them. Putting them in the refrigerator can make them loose their flavor and cause them to be mealy (temps under 50 degrees can do this too). 
Nutrition Facts: 1 large tomato (3" diameter) - 33 calories, 7 grams carbs, 2 grams protein. Good source of Vitamin A and C.



Tomato Avocado Truffle Sandwich

Almost everyday for lunch I have been making myself a tomato sandwich but I put a little twist on it :) Try it once and it will make you want to have it everyday too!






Ingredients:
2 slices of whole wheat bread (I like to use Sprouted Grain Ezekiel bread by Food for Life - yum!)
1/2 of fresh ripe tomato, thinly sliced
6-8 leaves of fresh basil (add more or less depending on your preference)
1 ounce 2% low fat cheese (I use Mozzarella)
1/4 of avocado, thinly sliced
truffle oil, few sprinkles
salt and pepper
Directions:
Toast cheese on the bread. In the meantime you can cut the tomato and avocado. Then, place the sliced avocado on the toasted bread followed by the basil and tomato. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper and truffle oil to make it taste rich and delicious! (Hint: don't use too much truffle oil because it can easily overpower it).
Enjoy the fresh flavor of summer!

Roasted Spaghetti Squash and Shrimp

Lately, I've had a lot of friends ask me how to cook spaghetti squash and I thought this would be a great dish to enjoy during early Spring - something light and refreshing! This meal was not only delicious it was super easy and required very little effort. But, first you should know how to pick out the perfect spaghetti squash.

Spaghetti Squash 101  
Season: Spaghetti Squash is a winter squash and is harvested in early fall. In cool storage it can keep for months and is available throughout the winter and early spring. 
The perfect pick: Look for a creamy-yellow color with an oblong shape. Choose the one that is firm with no bruises or soft spots and feels heavy for its size. 
Storage: Spaghetti squash can be kept in a dry, cool place for up to a month. Just remember the longer it waits to be used, the more nutrients it loses.

Ingredients
For the Spaghetti Squash:
2 small spaghetti squash (about 2 pounds each) or 1 medium squash (about 3 pounds)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice

For the shrimp:

• 1/2 pound (12 to 15-count) shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails on
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil1 Tbsp The Delicious Dietitian Seafood Spice Blend
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Cut the top off the spaghetti squash and then half lengthwise.
3) Place squash cut side down in baking dish (9x13).
4) Pour water in baking dish.
5) Roast for about 1 hour or until tender when pierced with a knife.
6) Set aside to cool.
7) Place shrimp on a sheet pan and toss with the olive oil, garlic, The Delicious Dietitian Seafood Spice Blend. Then spread them in 1 layer. 

8) Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.

9) While the shrimp is roasting, scoop out the seeds from the squash and discard. Then scrape out the flesh with a fork into a large bowl. 

10) Once shrimp is cooked, remove tails and add to spaghetti squash. Make sure to add all the juices to the squash as well. 

11) Add lemon juice and mix all ingredients together. (Optional: garnish with parsley, especially if you're serving to guest)

Enjoy this yummy light and refreshing meal perfect for early Spring! 

“Weight Watchers:” How NOT to Manage Your Child’s Weight by Just the Right Byte

“Weight Watchers:” How NOT to Manage Your Child’s Weight by Just the Right Byte

This is an article by Jill Castle, a great pediatric dietitian here in Nashville. She's been very successful and knows what she's talking about. I found this to be very true and refreshing to hear. Childhood obesity is definitely a problem but putting a child on a diet is not the solution. Read more about it in the article above.

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!