Homespun
September 26, 2001
Pleasing the Senses with 5 A Day!
Juicy, ripe fruit is truly one of nature's gifts. Its colors - that deep ruby red grapefruit, or that vibrant orange colored mango. Its textures - passion fruit or pomegranate seeds that squish and crunch at the same time, or the firm smoothness of a perfectly ripe pear. Its smell - sweet pineapple, honeydew melon, strawberries, lemons you can detect across the room. Its sound - think of the deep thumping when you tap a ripe cantaloupe or the staccato sizzles of mixed vegetables sauteing in a pan. And, of course, its taste - a taste that artificial juice drinks and hard candies will never rival.
As wonderful and appealing as fruit and vegetables can be, many still offer great taste and nutrition, even when they have passed their prime. Here are suggestions for ways to please the senses with fruits and vegetables.
Enjoy the aroma of freshly baked breads with left-over fruits and vegetables. Banana bread is a great way to use bananas that are a little brown. Or try making fresh breads with fruits, like orange or cranberry, or vegetables like zucchini. Works great with a bread-making machine!
Revel in the sound of ice crushing to make a frozen fruit drink with frozen strawberries and ripe bananas. Quick and easy to make, just mix skim milk, ice and your favorite fruits in a blender. If you want to treat yourself, substitute yogurt for the milk to get a creamier treat.
Proper storage can be key to promoting or preserving the ripeness of fruits and vegetables. For example, there's nothing like ripe summertime tomatoes. They always make a sensational dish, but be sure that you store them at room temperature and not in the refrigerator. If they are not quite ripe, just pop them in a paper bag with an apple or banana.
Taste the pleasures of fruits and vegetables whenever you can. Here is a fun mixed fruit salad that should excite all your senses. FIVE FRUIT SALAD WITH HONEY LIME DRESSING
Honey Lime Dressing:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon grated lime peel
¼ teaspoon seasoned salt
¼ teaspoon lime juice
3 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon prepared mustard Five Fruit Salad:
1 (8½ oz.) can sliced pineapple, packed in own juice, drained
8 lettuce leaves
1 banana
Lemon juice (Just enough to coat the bananas.)
1 orange, peeled and sectioned
1 cup seedless green grapes
1 cup melon pieces
Prepare honey-lime dressing. Shake all ingredients in a tightly covered jar. Refrigerate. Bring dressing to room temperature before serving. Shake.
Prepare salad. Place pineapple in lettuce cups, slice banana. Dip slices into lemon juice to prevent darkening. Mix banana, orange, and grapes. Arrange on pineapple. Drizzle dressing over salad. Yield: 8 servings (1 cup each).
To segment a citrus fruit, use a small sharp knife to cut off each end. Then carefully cut down each side until all skin and white pith is removed, revealing only orange flesh. Then, cut inside each segment, removing from each a triangle of orange but leaving all fibrous white material. Discard the white remains.
MICROWAVED MAPLE-FILLED PEARS
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup maple flavored syrup
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup chopped nuts
½ teaspoon lemon peel
3 fresh large pears, pared, halved and cored
Combine raisins, nuts, syrup. lemon peel and cinnamon; set aside. Arrange pears, cut-side down, in microwave-safe baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at High 5 minutes. Turn pears over and spoon maple mixture into center of each pear. Microwave covered at High 3 to 4 minutes longer or until pears are tender. Serves 6.
This page created by Margie Yarnell, Extension Secretary/Webmaster.
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