Nutritional Giants of the Month - April 2008
Posted on April 11, 2008
This month’s "Nutrition Giants of the Month" are artichokes, asparagus, and pineapple. This is a monthly series of articles that feature foods which are important to your health. Every month I discuss new foods and explain how these foods will help your body. This month’s foods are all in season or can be purchased year a round from your local grocery store or farmers market. I hope you enjoy this month’s Nutrition Giants and I would like to encourage you to send feed back and ideas for future articles.
Pineapples
Pineapples are a sweet tasting delicious treat that is also great for your health. Pineapples are a good source of vitamin C and other beneficial nutrients like vitamin B6, manganese, and copper. Pineapples also contain a secret ingredient, bromelain, that has excellent anti-inflammatory properties. Bromelain has been used in alternative medicine to treat severe bruises and as a treatment to help healing injuries by reducing pain and swelling. Another interesting use of pineapples and their juice is that they are an excellent meat tenderizer. Because of the high bromelain content. Bromelain is an enzyme that digest and breaks down proteins. For further information on pineapples and their amazing health benefits check out Whole Food’s web page on them.
When selecting a fresh pineapple be sure to get one that is heavy for it’s size, and free from any soft spots. The pineapple should also have a sweet aroma at the stem end. Pineapples are great out of the can too and should be purchased with their own juices for the best and most natural benefits. Because pineapples are so sweet there is no need to purchase them in heavy or even light syrups. When storing cut pineapple or pineapple out of the can be sure to put them in an air tight container and keep them in the refrigerator.
Pineapples are easy to serve and can be eaten in a variety of ways. They are popular in salsas, drinks, and in many desserts. One of my favorite memories about pineapples and cooking with them is of my Mother. My Mother loved pineapple upside down cake when I was growing up and her whole life. My Grandmother would always bake her one on her birthday and I just always remember my Mother really appreciating it and enjoying it. In dedication of that memory I found a great recipe for a pineapple upside down cake by Emeril Lagasse of the Food Network.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
1/2 ripe medium pineapple, peeled and sliced 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter 3/4 cup light brown sugar 14 pecan halves 1 cup cake flour (not self-rising) 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 tablespoon dark rum 4 fresh cherries, halved and pits removed
Directions
Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet, over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium high and cook until the sugar mixture is bubbly, about 2 minutes. Arrange pineapple slices in the skillet in a pleasing pattern and continue to cook for 2 minutes, or until the sugar mixture turns an amber color. Turn the pineapple slices over and remove the pan from the heat. (The mixture will continue to cook even though the heat is off.) Arrange the pecan halves in the spaces between the rings. Set aside to cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.Stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the remaining 1/2 cup butter and the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing just until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in 3 batches, mixing at low speed after each addition until just combined. Stir in the vanilla and rum.
Spoon the batter evenly over the pineapple slices in the skillet. Bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
Cool the cake in the skillet on a wire rack for 4 minutes only. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake and, wearing oven mitts and working quickly, invert the cake onto a cake plate, keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together. Carefully lift the skillet off cake and replace any fruit stuck to the bottom of the skillet, if necessary. Arrange the fresh cherry halves, cut side down, into the top of the cake, in the center of the pineapple rings.
Serve cake warm or at room temperature.
Artichoke
Artichokes are actually the immature flower of a thistle plant. As you can see above they make for extraordinary pictures and are also attractive to wildlife. The leaves and flower buds of the thistle plant are edible, but the center is not. Artichokes range in a great many colors from dark purple to light green. Some of the most popular varieties to eat are the Desert Globe, the Big Heart, and the Green Globe. Artichokes are a great source of vitamin C, folate, dietary fiber and potassium. Artichokes also contain an amazing little phytochemical, cynarin, which aids in digestion by stimulating bile production. In a 2004 USDA study artichokes ranked 7th out of 100 foods tested for antioxidant containing foods. For more information and facts about the artichoke and it’s nutritional content check our the Gourmet Sleuth’s page on artichokes.
To select an artichoke be sure that it is tightly packed and is heavy. Make sure the leaves are a deep green color with little wilting. Be sure to put them in a plastic bag and store them in the refrigerator. They will keep for about four days after purchasing them fresh. Here is a neat little recipe that I found on RecipeSource.com that came from Justin Wilson’s "Outdoor Cooking with Inside Help".
Artichoke Salad (with a Cajun flare)
Ingredients
- 4 ea Fresh artichoke hearts
- 1 tablespoon Wine vinegar
- 2 canned Artichoke hearts, quartered
- 1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
- 1 ea Small garlic clove
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
Directions
In a wooden salad bowl, mash garlic and salt with a strong fork. Add fresh artichoke hearts, and mash with the garlic and salt. Add olive oil, stir, add lemon juice, stir, add wine vinegar,stir, stir, add hot sauce, stir, add Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce, Mix well. Put canned artichoke hearts in dressing and let marinate for 1 hour, then eat as is or serve on a bed of greens.
Asparagus
Asparagus comes in a couple different varieties including white, green, and purple. But, did you know that the white and green come from the same plant. When all asparagus spears emerge from the ground they are white until the Sun turns the stalks green by producing chlorophyll. Asparagus is an excellent source of folic acid which may aid in reducing the risk of many diseases and health issues. Folic acid has been known to aid in reducing your rick of hear disease, cancer, birth defects, and cognitive function. One thing that I my wife always made sure she had enough of while pregnant was folic acid. She does not care for broccoli or asparagus but she would eat it through out her pregnancy because of the nutrients it provides. Asparagus is also high in glutathione, and antioxidant that protects cells from being damaged. Asparagus has been widely studied and has been found to aid in your over all health. Another little plant chemical that asparagus contains is protodioscin. Protodioscin has been known to reduce bone loss, improve sexual desire, enhance erection, and kill a number of different cancer cells. Be sure to check out Asparagus.org and the Whole Foods asparagus page for more interesting information about the health benefits of asparagus.
Select bright colored asparagus that has closed, firm tips. If the tips are wilted you can revive them by soaking them in cold water. Fresh asparagus will keep a couple days if you will cut the bottom off and set them upright in a container with a little water. If you are not going to use it for more than a couple days, wrap them in some damp paper towels, place them in a plastic bag, and store in the crisper section of your refrigerator. Here is a simple and delicious recipe that I found on AllRecipes.com.
Asparagus with Sliced Almonds and Parmesan Cheese
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound asparagus, bottoms trimmed
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup Parmesan cheeseDirections
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus, and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes. Stir in almonds and parmesan, and cook until the cheese is slightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Photos by four doxn, florian aut, and ulterior epicure.
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Comments
2 Responses to “Nutritional Giants of the Month - April 2008”
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This is an informative article. One unfortunate fact that I do not see here concerns much of the commercially farmed pineapple. I have read that as the soil becomes more depleted the pineapples do not have the supply of bromelain we would expect.
What I do not know is how to identify pineapple that is well grown. Any suggestions?
Lexi,
Thank you so much for the comments. I did a little research and found one place that you can purchase not only responsibly grown pineapples, but they are organic too! I always suggest eating organically grown foods when ever possible. Here is the link:
http://www.mauipineapple.com/products/purchase.html
Hope this helps!