Meatless Monday: Having Fun Eating Your Daily Servings of Fruits

One Step At a Time...

You Can Go Meatless

For All Three Meals

Don't Fear Exotic Fruits

Fruits comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, flavors, and textures. While there are so many fruits you may be able to grow in your own backyard, such as apples, strawberries and grapes, more exotic varieties are becoming increasingly available. Let these three fruits: dragon fruit, cherimoya, and rambutan offer a world of delicious, nutritious discovery.

Dragon Fruit

It doesn’t really breathe fire, so don’t let this beautiful fruit with deep pink flame-like “leaves” scare you. Cut open a dragon fruit and you will find sweet, crunchy, white flesh, dotted with tiny edible seeds, that tastes like a cross between kiwi and pear. Native to Thailand, dragon fruit is now grown in Southeast Asia, Mexico, Central and South America, and Israel. Actually a type of cactus, dragon fruit is packed with nutrients. High in fiber, vitamin C and B vitamins, plus phosphorus, calcium and a healthy dose of antioxidants, this tropical fruit is a worthy addition to your fruit repertoire.

Look for fruits with a bright, even color. A few blotches are normal, but too many means the fruit may be over-ripe. Avoid fruits with dry brown stems or brown tips on the “leaves”. When you press the skin with your thumb, the flesh should give just a little. To prepare, cut the fruit in half through the stem end, then scoop the flesh out with a spoon (remove all traces of skin, as it’s not edible.) High water content makes dragon fruit good for mixing in exotic tropical drinks and smoothies. Or pair it with other tropical fruits like mango and pineapple for a fruit salad or a lightly grilled kabob.

Cherimoya

What could be bad about a fruit with a fragrance so sweet you can tell it’s ripe even from a distance? In the case of cherimoya, nothing. Native to the tropical forests of South America, this greenish-yellow, cone-shaped fruit has a sweet, creamy pulp with smooth black seeds. It contains a good amount of fiber and an impressive list of nutrients. This fragrant fruit is loaded with antioxidants (including vitamin C) and B vitamins, especially B6. Plus, it has lots of minerals, including potassium, magnesium, copper, iron and manganese.

The skin of a ripe cherimoya should be greenish-yellow to light brown, without blemishes. When you press gently, the flesh should just yield. Keep unripe fruit at room temperature, and eat ripe fruit immediately. Wash, pat dry, cut lengthwise, and scoop the flesh out with a spoon. After removing the seeds, eat as is, or purée to mix into fruit salad or as an ice-cream topping. Mix chunks with mangos, jalapenos, red onions and cilantro for a fruity salsa, or warm slices and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Rambutan

The name rambutan comes from the Malay word for “hairy”. It’s an appropriate name for this bright red little fruit that has a rind covered in soft hair-like spines. Grown in Southeast Asia and Puerto Rico, this lychee-like fruit has a natural sweet and sour effect that comes from a balance of acids and sugars. About 59 calories each, the two-to-three-inch round or oval fruits are packed with nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin C, niacin, iron, and even some protein.

For most varieties, ripe rambutan will be bright red. The tips of the soft spines should have little or no black. To remove the thin rind, cut partway in, then pry the fruit open, as if opening an egg. Watch out for sweet, dripping juice! Once the rind is open, gently squeeze the fruit out. Enjoy the flesh, but don’t eat the bitter central seed. Rambutan is best eaten fresh, but it can also be used in cocktails and tropical fruit salad, or simmered into a simple syrup.

(Courtesy of Judy Thalheimer )

Healthy Meatless Recipe:

Quinoa Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

(Adapted from Avocado Pesto )

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 red chili pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cups cubes pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ cup quinoa
• 20 ounce can black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 2 bay leaves
• For garnish:
• 1 avocado, cubed
• handful cilantro, diced
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Heat oil in pan over medium heat and cook onion for a few minutes. Add garlic and red chili pepper and cook until aromatic.
2. Add pumpkin and spices and cook for a couple minutes.
3. Add 2 cups of the vegetable broth and quinoa. Bring a boil and cook for 5 minutes before adding the remaining vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.
4. Add beans and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
5. Served garnished with cilantro, avocado and lime juice.
6. Serves 4

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Healthy Weekly Motivator

Managing your stress can improve your life in many aspects.

Feeling tense? Reduce stress by showing a smile.

Remember Green Goes with Everything

Clean Baby

Our children are getting sicker at alarming rates. One leading researcher says that we are conducting a vast toxicology experiment on our kids with the tens of thousands of new chemicals that have recently come on the market, many of which are now even found in fetal blood. You , as parents, can make better choices about what your children eat, what they eat from, what they play with, what they wear, what they sleep on, and what you use to wash them, brush them, and protect them.

You know that old saying, “You are what you eat.” It's time you as parents revised it. Because from the moment of conception, your baby is what you eat, too. And drink, And inhale. And put on or against your skin.

When you run out of shampoo, toothpaste, body creams, and sun protection, switch to safer, greener products for your family. If you need help in selecting greener, healthier products contact LQ Wellness.

Have a great week and remember a better tomorrow starts with what you eat today!

Do you have a favorite meatless recipe you would like to share with us? Send it my way!

Wishing you health and wellness from the inside out,

Lisa

LQ WELLNESS

Professional Wellness Coach

973-383-0955

lisaquinnwc@embarqmail.com

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