A Food Revelation

The other day I was having my usual afternoon snack, when I all of a sudden had a food revelation. The first thing you need to know is that my snack was an apple. Now, over the past few years I have done extensive research on diet and nutrition and in almost every article, book, blog post, etc that I have read, apples are noted as being one of the best fruits to eat. There is a reason we have that saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away. So in understanding the nutritional benefits of an apple, I made a conscious decision to incorporate them more into my diet.


Now I’m sure you’re all thinking, why does this even matter? Or even more so, what does this have to do with this BIG revelation I had? Well, I will tell you. Better yet, I will share with you the exact thought process that brought me to said revelation. I was eating my apple and initially my thoughts were purely about how much I enjoyed the apple I was snacking on. Then I started thinking about the kind of apple I was eating…it was a gala apple. Ok great, what does that matter? Well this is where the light bulb went off. See when I was a kid I was never a big fan of apples. So as I was eating this gala apple I started wondering why I didn’t enjoy apples more growing up. Then it hit me! When I was a kid my mom used to buy red delicious apples. Now, I know many people enjoy the red delicious variety, but personally the skin is too waxy and the actual fruit is not especially sweet or juicy. So no wonder I didn’t like apples as a kid! The red delicious ones just didn’t (and still don’t) suit my palette.

Gala Apple ~ Delicious!

But the real revelation is not about apples, but it’s more so about the fact that as I have gotten older and started food shopping for myself, it has opened my mind and palette to things that I might have not experienced or enjoyed before, since I was not the one in control of what I bought, and therefore what I ate. I mean think about it, if my mom food shopped for me my entire life I may have never branched out and tried other types of apples. I may have lived a life where apples were only enjoyable when baked into a pie or candy/chocolate coated. I may have never really understood the beauty and deliciousness that an apple has in its natural state. And for this, my ability to do and enjoy my own food shopping, I not only embrace my sense of independence but I embrace my food freedom.

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Ice Cream!!!!!

Whether it’s a shake or a sundae, in bowl or in a cone, made into a cake or in the middle of a sandwich, ice cream is a dessert that “takes the cake” in all its numerous forms. In fact, if I were a super hero, ice cream would be my kryptonite. Every night after dinner, when I start to crave that something sweet, if ice cream is available, that is the dessert of choice. I try to resist it, really I do, but it’s nearly impossible. It’s an evil, yet glorious, temptress. Case in point, the other night my mom was having a bowl and just listening to her scrapping down the bowl, trying to savor the last bit of melted, creamy goodness, made me HAVE to have a bowl. I have never felt more like Pavlov’s dogs. My body literally had a reaction…the spoon scrapes the bowl, my mouth begins to salivate. It’s so sad, but so true.


So the question remains, vanilla or chocolate? It’s a question we have all been asked at some point or another in our lives that I believe we all feel we have to answer. Normally I would say vanilla but the truth of the matter is, how can you limit yourself to a single flavor when now-a-days there is a whole array of flavors at your finger tips? Cookies & cream, cookie dough, cherry vanilla, rocky road, mint chocolate chip, strawberry, pistachio, coffee, maple walnut, to name some of the basics. Not to mention the latest and greatest funky flavors that companies like Ben & Jerry’s, Haagen Daz, Baskin Robbins, or Friendly’s bring to grocery stores and ice cream parlors around the world. And lest we forget about the toppings…sprinkles, hot fudge, reese’s pieces, wet walnuts, whipped cream (my personal favorite), granola, toffee crunch, gummie bears…the list goes on and on, as does my passion and love for this creamy, smooth, tongue tantalizing treat.

So are you tempted yet to go to your local ice cream shop or grocery store and treat yourself to a big bowl of ice cream? If so, here’s my ice cream suggestion of the day: pumpkin ice cream with marshmallow topping…can we say FABULOUS??? I am in love and officially drooling!

Honey ~ The Underutilized Ingredient

Nature’s sweetener, that’s what honey is. My feeling is that this silky, golden syrup is completely underutilized in our modern day cuisine. So my mission lately has been to come up with recipes that incorporate honey as much as possible. This is just the beginning of this venture, but so far here is what I have come up with…


Chicken & Mushrooms with a White Peach Balsamic & Honey Reduction

*note: this recipe was designed to serve 1, myself, so if serving more than 1, please feel free to adjust the recipe in any way you see fit

Ingredients:
1 – Boneless, skinless chicken cutlet (cubed)

½ lbs. – White button mushrooms, sliced

1 clove – minced garlic

1 Teaspoon – Dried thyme

1 Tablespoon – Honey

¾ - 1 cup – White Peach Balsamic Vinegar (this can be found at a specialty oil/vinegar store called Carter & Cavero Old World Olive Oil Co.)

Non-stick Cooking Spray

Salt & Pepper

Directions:
Spray non-stick sauté pan with non-stick cooking spray. On medium low heat, sauté mushrooms (add salt and pepper to help draw out the moisture in the mushrooms upon placing them in the pan). Let mushrooms sauté for about 10 minutes as mushrooms begin to get tender and brown. After 10 minutes, add the minced garlic to the pan. Adding the garlic at this point prevents it from burning. Once the garlic is added, and then add the cubed chicken and thyme. Let the garlic, thyme, and chicken cook with the mushrooms for another 5 minutes. After the chicken has been partially cooked for these 5 minutes, add the balsamic vinegar and honey to the pan. Let this combination cook and reduce down on medium high heat until a thick sauce forms, probably another 5 minutes.

To add some color to the dish I suggest serving this over mashed sweet potatoes. The sweetness of the white peach honey reduction compliments the sweet potato in the same way brown sugar and cinnamon would.

This is a quick cooking meal, with lots of flavor and simple ingredients. But of course the most important thing is that it uses honey! I am going to continue on my quest for finding and developing honey based recipes, but for now let's just take a moment to give a nod to nature's own sweetner...Oh honey, you’re such a sweet thang!