Food

Delicious and 'Fruitritious'

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By Naomi Ross

Stuffed baked apples.

Can you hear it? Listen carefully.

It's the sound of your body begging for relief after a winter full of countless indulgences.

When the weather is colder and the produce available is mediocre at best, we all have a soft spot for comfort foods. But once the cold lifts and the beautiful spring air is upon us, we are forced to do a post-winter reality check and pay attention to the signals our bodies are sending us. People naturally go through a cleansing process from time to time. We have so satiated our desires for unhealthy foods that we no longer even crave them. Um . . . OK, maybe just one cookie.

Breaking the sweets craving is one of the toughest things to do once your body is used to high-sugar/high-fat foods. Nutritionists commonly recommend replacing those sweets with fruits as a well-known strategy for weight loss. However, the lesser known but equally important value of fruit consumption lay in its myriad other health benefits. No matter what time of year, there are always fruits available — here are a few ways to follow good "fruitrition" throughout the seasons.

Simply Citrus

Refreshing and juicy, the natural sweetness of citrus fruits can cut the craving for sugar in no time, not to mention do wonders for your body. Famous for their high vitamin C content, citrus fruits also contain an impressive list of other essential nutrients, including potassium, folate, calcium, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, magnesium, copper and riboflavin. According to a Harvard study, the higher the average daily intake of fruits and vegetables, the lower the chances of developing cardiovascular disease. The most beneficial items tested were green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits (and their juices). This is just one of numerous studies linking the consumption of fruits and vegetables to a decreased risk of heart attack, cancer and other diseases. Sort of makes you want to put down that cookie, doesn't it?

Now certainly you can just eat an orange — straight and pure. But that won't help with your menu planning. When citrus fruits are at their best, I start pulling out all of the recipes that most enhance and showcase their different flavors. The citrus fruit recipe on the next page is wonderfully refreshing, beautiful to the eye and an impressive alternative to a halved, sectioned grapefruit.

Spiced Citrus Fruit Salad

Pomegranate seeds add a special tang to this salad, so when pomegranates hit the stores in the fall, this recipe is sure to make my menu!

• 2 ruby red grapefruits
• 3 oranges
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (about 1/3 of a pomegranate)
• 2 tablespoons flaked coconut
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (Yes, I mean from a real lemon!)
• Juice of 1 lime (Ditto!)
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
• 3-4 teaspoons honey, or more to taste depending on the sweetness of the fruit
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons Triple-sec liquor
• 1-2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Cut off the polar ends of the grapefruits with a sharp, serrated knife. Then slice the peel from the sides. Trim away the white pith. With a gentle sawing motion, cut along the membranes that divide each section and release the grapefruit segments into a large mixing bowl. Repeat with the oranges, adding them to the grapefruit segments. Add the pomegranate seeds and coconut. Mix to blend.

In a small bowl, combine the juices of the lemon and lime, lime zest, honey, cinnamon and liquor. Stir until well blended. Add this mixture to the oranges and grapefruits, and mix to blend. Set aside to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes. Spoon into dessert bowls and sprinkle a little bit of crystallized ginger on top of each bowl. Serves 4.

An Apple a Day

If Johnny Appleseed were alive today, he might be surprised and enthused to learn that America is one of the leading producers of apples in the world, second only to China. Some 2,500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States, 100 of which are grown commercially. When refrigerated, an apple can last three to six months, which makes it an ideal winter fruit. Fat-, cholesterol- and sodium-free, an apple is only 80 calories and a good source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber such as pectin actually helps to prevent cholesterol buildup in the lining of blood vessel walls, thus reducing the risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease. The insoluble fiber in apples provides bulk in the intestinal tract, holding water to cleanse and move food quickly through the digestive system. Don't be too quick to peel your apples, though. Almost half of the vitamin C content is just underneath the skin.

Cornell University researchers, for example, have found that the amount of fresh apple extract from a medium apple with skin provides the antioxidant activity equal to 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C. Now can a cookie do that for you?

Baked Apples Stuffed with Apricots and Almonds

Talk about perfect winter comfort food — and low-fat perfect comfort food to boot!

These apples are just what the doctor ordered on a cold night.

• 6 Fuji or golden delicious apples
• Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup dark rum
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
• 1 tablespoon butter (1/2 teaspoon for each apple)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a melon baller or corer, scoop out stem end and entire core of apples, being careful to leave the bottom intact. Using vegetable peeler, remove 1-inch-wide strip of peel from around the top of the cavity. Brush exposed apple surfaces with fresh lemon juice.

Place apricots and almonds in a food processor and pulse (about 10 to 12 times) until well chopped and clumping together.

(Do not over-process — you don't want to form a paste.)

Transfer the apricots and almonds to a small mixing bowl and add maple syrup, brown sugar, spices and 2 tablespoons of dark rum. Mix to blend.

Fill cavities to the top with apricot-almond mixture. (It's OK to over-stuff!) Mix 1/3 cup rum and cider in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Arrange stuffed apples in prepared dish. Cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes, occasionally basting the apples with the cider cooking liquid.

Uncover and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, basting often with cooking liquid.

Apples are done when a fork pierces them easily and the skin is slightly wrinkled.

Serve the apples warm, with cooking liquid spooned over and around apples. Serves 6.

Berry, Berry Good For You!

As each spring approaches, I begin to dream about the coming of strawberry season. Red and luscious, the sweetness of a ripe strawberry can compete with any candy. But it turns out our crimson friend is quite the powerhouse when it comes to anti-oxidant power as well. Additionally, 1 cup of strawberries gives you a whopping 140 percent of your recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.

Strawberries are also packed with particular flavonoids that research shows help keep "bad" (LDL) cholesterol from oxidizing and damaging artery walls.

Strawberries also contain ellargic acid — common in other berries and nuts — which acts as a scavenger to "bind" cancer-causing chemicals, making them inactive. It inhibits the ability of other chemicals to cause mutations in bacteria and reduces the incidence of cancer in cultured human cells exposed to carcinogens.

Delicious to eat by themselves, strawberries also assume the perfect starring role in smoothies, desserts and salads because of their strong, distinct flavor.

Choose strawberries that have full red color and avoid any that are white or lack color.

Strawberry Soup

Strawberry soup

Cold soups are a refreshing starter on a spring afternoon. Here is a delicious recipe using the tasty strawberries available at the height of the season.

• 6 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered (about 2 to 2 1/2 quarts)
• 6 ounces pineapple juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 to 5 tablespoons sugar
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup whole-milk vanilla yogurt

Place all ingredients except yogurt in a food processor or blender (you might have to do this in batches). Puree until smooth and well blended. Whisk in vanilla yogurt. Season to taste if more sugar or juice is necessary. Chill until serving time. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with mint sprigs or sliced strawberries. Serves 4.

Naomi Ross teaches Cooking Concepts, courses on cooking skills and kitchen management for the Jewish woman. For more information, visit her Web site at www.jewishcookingconcepts.com. Naomi can be reached at cookingconcepts@gmail.com.

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