Tasty Bites: The Tomatillo Test

By Candy, RN (Steele the Day)

Tasty Bites is a guinea pig this week.

Up until this week, I’ve never had a tomatillo. I was a casual observer at the grocery store the other day when I curiously watched two women arguing over the tomatillo bin. They were probably discussing something other than a little Mexican tomato, but I grabbed a few out of curiosity and purchased them. Then I went home to figure out what to do with these little “Barbie” tomatoes. They are strange little fruits, with a papery skin and once that is removed, they have sort of a sticky coating. They smell a bit like a green tomato, though they are only a distant cousin and more closely related to the ground cherry.

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Tasty Bites: Snackin' Chickpeas

By Candy, RN (Steele the Day)

Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are low in calories and a good source of dietary fiber, protein, vitamin B6, folate, and manganese. You often see them in soups and salads, but they can make a great healthy snack when roasted in the oven. You can use about any spices to flavor them, depending if you like them a little sweet or more savory. One of my favorites is using a Moroccan spice blend with a kick of cayenne pepper. These are great as a snack, or put on salads.

This sweet and spicy version is a sweet snack, and they disappear very fast at my house.

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Tasty Bites: Mission: Meatless

By Candy, RN (Steele the Day)

One of the reasons we haven’t embraced meatless meals in the mainstream is because so many people are disappointed that the end result doesn’t taste like meat. We haven’t learned to enjoy the taste of a good healthy protein without meat. That’s understandable, as most of us grew up with meat as a main course.

This is a tasty sandwich that I hesitate to call a burger. It’s meatless, and not intended to be a meat “taste-alike.” It’s just a sandwich. The combination of rice and beans makes a complete protein and the variety of ingredients as well as the seasonings gives it fabulous flavor. It’s loaded with fiber and very filling.

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Tasty Bites: Not Your Daddy's Parsnips

By Candy, RN (Steele the Day)

I loved my dad’s butter-fried parsnips growing up. They were the only vegetable I’d eat. Since I’ve strayed from using Dad-amounts of butter, I haven’t had a parsnip in 25 years. It was time.

We tend to give butter a bad rap because it contains so much saturated fat, but a little won’t hurt you and it adds a lot of flavor to foods that are naturally bland. I’d much rather indulge in a pat of real butter than something from a plastic tub full of ingredients and chemicals that I can’t pronounce.

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Tasty Bites: B is for Breakfast!

By Candy, RN (Steele the Day)

There are eight B vitamins, usually referred to as the B-complex vitamins. B vitamins play an important part in the health of skin and mucous membranes, including hair, mouth, and eyes. Folic acid is a B vitamin and proper intake is essential for women to avoid certain birth defects. B vitamins also aid in the function of the nervous system by the breakdown of fats and proteins, and play important roles in heart health, circulation, and immunity. No one B vitamin does the trick – they work their magic when they are consumed together.

Deficiency in Vitamin B can lead to insomnia, memory loss, numbness and tingling, and a host of other symptoms. A well-balanced diet will ensure proper Vitamin B intake, but some people, including the elderly and people under excessive stress, need supplements. Check with your doctor if you think you may be deficient in Vitamin B.

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