RECIPE FOR HEALTH - FEBRUARY
By Peggy Crum, RD, Health4U Nutritionist
Just when we northerners need fresh fruit and a dose of sunshine the most, great mounds of grapefruit appear in the grocery stores. Coming to market from Florida, Texas, Arizona and California, grapefruit is always in season somewhere in the U.S. These growing regions overlap seasons from February through June making grapefruit especially plentiful during the winter and spring months. The freshest, juiciest grapefruit have smooth skins and are heavy for size. They will keep for a week on the countertop but maintain their quality for several weeks when kept in the refrigerator.
Grapefruit trivia:
- Originated in the Caribbean, a natural cross between a sweet orange and a pummelo.
- Whether the pulp is white or red, the flavor does not vary all that much.
- Several fruits are hybrids of grapefruit including Minneola tangelo, Ugli fruit, and Oroblanco.
- Grapefruit tend to grow in clusters—like grapes—on trees; this may explain their name!
Grapefruit are renowned for their sweet-tart taste that includes a moderate amount of bitterness. Although the bitter taste lessens as the fruit ripens, it remains prominent in the rind and pith (white part of the peel). Follow these steps to peel away the bitterness:
- Hold the grapefruit steady on a cutting board and slice off both ends of the fruit.
- Set the fruit on one of its now-flat ends. Use a downward cut following the curve of the fruit to shave away the peel going just deep enough to reveal the flesh.
- Go back over the fruit and remove any remaining bits of pith.
- Working over a bowl, hold the fruit like a ball in your hand. Carefully cut toward the center of the fruit along each side of the membrane that divides the flesh into segments. Allow the loosened segments to fall into the bowl.
- Give the remains a good squeeze to extract the rest of the juice.
- Sweeten to your delight.
Grapefruit Brûlée will be served for lunch at The Gallery at Snyder/Phillips, Brody Square and Riverwalk Market at Owen Hall on Wednesday, February 22. Join us in the Brody Square demonstration kitchen at 12:10 p.m. on February 22 to see Chef Kurt Kwiatkowski make the recipe.
RECIPE FOR HEALTH - JANUARY
By Peggy Crum, RD, Health4U Nutritionist
Eating beans on New Year’s Day is a time-honored way in many cultures to bring prosperity to your family. You may be familiar with hoppin’ john, a dish made with black-eyed peas, traditional New Year’s fare in the southern U.S. But did you know that lentils bring in the New Year in Germany, Italy and Brazil and black beans in Japan?
If bigger is better where omens are concerned, we should have it covered with giant white beans. Commonly called butter beans in the U.S. and gigandes in Greece, giant white beans are flat, kidney-shaped beans measuring about an inch in length. When fresh or frozen, they are pale green and referred to as lima beans. They turn pure white when dried. Chef’s recipe calls for canned beans, usually labeled butter beans, but you can substitute cooked dried beans if you prefer. Although not widely available, I found dried giant white beans for $1.95 per pound at a local supermarket. Look for whole beans, not broken or cracked, with smooth white skin.
Giant white beans cook more quickly than you might expect. Soaked beans will simmer to a soft buttery texture in just 45 minutes to an hour. Think of them as gentle giants. Turbulent water, extended cooking time, or any kind of rough treatment will cause them to break apart.
To cook up a batch of giant white beans, start by soaking 1 pound of dried beans in 10 cups of water in a large pot, covered and placed in the refrigerator overnight. After the long soak, drain into a colander. Place beans back in the pot along with 6 cups water and aromatics (onion, garlic, bay leaf, fresh thyme and parsley). Simmer gently for ½ hour, then add a teaspoon of salt and continue with a gentle simmer for 15 minutes more. Let the beans cool in the broth. Strain to use in the recipe. Store cooked beans in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days or in the freezer for 6 months.
Combine giant white beans with greens as in this month’s recipe for an extra dose of prosperity.
Great White Beans with Greens Recipe
Giant White Beans with Greens will be served for lunch at The Gallery at Snyder/Phillips, Brody Square and Riverwalk Market at Owen Hall on Wednesday, January 25. Join us in the Brody Square demonstration kitchen at 12:10 p.m. on January 25.
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Really nice recipie I'm sure I'll be giving this ago. I had something similar on christmas day in South Africa, very tasty!
Bean is a vegetable; rich in protein, good for health and helps loss wight. Everyone loves it for obvious reasons. It is very informative post. Eviction Letter
I don't know how healthy it is, but I love these white beans with ham hocks. You are right, they cook surprisingly quick. Bay leaf, thyme and onion for seasoning with the salt coming from the ham hocks and you are good to go. It is a great meal for a cold day.
Yammy salad. Thanks for sharing this great piece of recipe
I never tasted a giant white beans before, I think this is good with beef, what do you think?
Giant white beans are yummy and are also fantastic in salads in summer. They are a great alternative for vegetarians as well. Thanks for the read.
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Presidential Chicken
One of the most beloved MSU recipes has to be Presential Chicken. We get requests all the time for a copy of the recipe, so I thought I'd share it with all of you. Enjoy!
Presidential Chicken
Serves 6
1 T. olive oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders or chicken breasts
5 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 T. sour cream
2 T. green onion, sliced thin
½ t. garlic salt or kosher salt
¼ t. black pepper
6 puff pastry squares
1 egg
1 t. water
Sauce:
1 T. butter
1 T. all purpose flour
1 ¼ c. 2% or whole milk
3 T. chicken stock
2 t. fresh parsley, minced
¼ t. white pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Chop the chicken up into small cubes and set aside, keeping warm.
Mix softened cream cheese with sour cream, green onions, salt and pepper. Add in the cooked chicken and evenly coat with the cheese mixture.
Place about 3 T. of the chicken and cheese mixture in the center of a puff pastry square. Lightly touch the outside edge of the pastry square with water and bring all four corners together, pinch the seams and seal.
In a bowl beat the egg and 1 t. of water. Brush the egg wash on each puff pastry, making sure not to over coat each one. Bake filled puff pastries in the preheated oven for approximately 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
For the sauce:
Melt butter in a sauce pan, and add the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir while heat is on medium for 5 minutes.
Gradually pour in milk and chicken stock, stirring to thicken, and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Add in parsley and pepper and adjust seasoning to taste.
Ladle the sauce onto a plate, placing puff pastry in the center. Serve immediately.
Comments
Thanks so much for this recipe! I found this while looking for another (yeah, I know) chicken recipe. I also never know what a "roux" was until I was forced to look it up! You learn something new everyday.
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Spartan Eats, Smokestack Coleslaw
One afternoon I met MSU Alumni Association Director, Scott Westerman for lunch at The Gallery. We started talking about cooking shows and how cool it would be if our departments collaborated to produce a show.
Fast forward a couple months and here is our pilot episode of Spartan Eats. I walk you through how we make the sandwiches at Smokestack BBQ for Spartan Stadium, and offer some advice on how you can make your own version at home. One of my favorite componets of this sandwich is the slaw, for which I'm posting the recipe below.
Special thanks to Elizabeth Battiste, an MSU student and intern at the MSUAA. She produced the show and really did a fantastic job!
So what do you think? We're hoping to make a couple more shows, and I'd love to hear from you on what you'd like to see!
Smokestack Coleslaw
2 t. Dijon mustard
1 1/3 T. apple cider vinegar
2 2/3 T. canola oil
1 t. lime juice
1½ pounds green cabbage, cored and julienne
2 T. shredded carrots
¼ c. julienne red onion
2 T. fresh cilantro
½ t. kosher salt
¼ t. coarse ground black pepper
Whisk vinegar, mustard and lime juice together. After blended, slowly add canola oil and reserve.
In a big mixing bowl add cabbage, carrots, red onion and fresh cilantro
Toss with vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Reserve in a cooler for minimum ½ hour before service so that flavors blend together.
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This sounds like a recipe I would like to try. Any receipe that takes advantage of fresh vegetables straight from the garden is a good idea. Do you have any receipe's for unusual tomato dishes?
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Recipe for Health - November
By Peggy Crum, RD, Health4U Nutritionist
Michigan has two turnip seasons. Thanks to cool temperatures in the spring and fall, turnips thrive twice a year. Spring is ideal for turnip greens and early tender turnips but warm temperatures can threaten the turnip bulb making the texture woody and the flavor harsh. The fall crop, often larger and better quality, provides plenty of turnips to store for winter use.
Turnips and rutabagas are underground members of the brassica (cabbage) family. The orb-shaped part of the plant may look like a root but it is really a swollen lower stem. While turnips are white-fleshed and rutabagas yellow, these vegetables substitute well for each other in cooking.
Turn up the deliciousness by shopping for small- to medium-size turnips with a rosy red or purple blush on smooth white skin. Young turnips are sweet and tender with a mild peppery flavor. The tops should be fresh and green. Yellow tops or bolting (spouts coming from the cut-off tops) are sure signs of tough, bitter turnips. If the tops are gone, the turnips most likely were in storage before coming to market. Cold storage turnips are fine if they are firm and heavy for size. Store yours, separate from the greens, unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a week or two.
How you use your turnips will depend on their size and maturity. The smallest ones just need a thorough washing in clear water before steaming them whole with the tops attached. Tender medium-size turnips can be used raw, cut up for dipping or shredded for slaw as in our featured recipe. Larger turnips require peeling then roasting, steaming or braising to soften their flavor to a gentle spiciness.
Turnips pair well with potatoes to make a classic combination. Or toss chunks of turnips and other fall vegetables with olive oil and roast in a hot oven until nicely browned.
Turnip Slaw will be served for lunch at The Gallery at Snyder/Phillips, Brody Square and Riverwalk Market at Owen Hall on Wednesday, November 16. See a cooking demo of the dish by Chef Kurt Kwiatkowski at the Brody Square demonstration kitchen at 12:10 p.m.
Comments
I recently bought turnips, but wasn't sure how to use them... thanks for the recipe!
I am usually not a big fan of turnip but Peggy has some great learning points here. I am going to try a turnip and potato recipe this weekend.
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Kurt Kwiatkowski is the Corporate Chef for Culinary Services in the Division of Residential and Hospitality Services at Michigan State University. As Corporate Chef, he sets the standards for the core menu and develops staff training.
Chef Kurt holds a bachelor’s degree in Food Systems Management and Economics and a master’s degree from The School of Hospitality Business, both from Michigan State University.
Peggy Crum is the nutritionist for Health4U in the University Physician’s Office at Michigan State University. She is responsible for the food and nutrition component of MSU’s health promotion program. Her focus is to help individuals discover how to eat what is right for them.
Peggy enjoys gardening and cooking which helps her write about foods in season. Recipe for Health is entering its fifth year as a partnership between Health4U and Culinary Services. Peggy is a registered dietitian. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in dietetics from Purdue University and currently is pursuing a master’s degree in health and risk communication.
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