Enjoy the fresh fruits of summer

August 22, 2012

By PAMELA REDWINE

Every season has its own wonderful fruits and vegetables, but summer has the very best and a multitude of choices. Summer fruit is a wonderful snack, just eaten out of hand. Be sure to have a bowl of washed, chilled fruit in the refrigerator for warm weather snack attacks.

Beyond Fresh

Fresh fruit is enjoyed the most when eaten at the peak of ripeness. Fruit that has gotten a little bit too ripe is very useful, if not for snacking, then as an ingredient. One of the best things to do with ripe fruit is to prepare a sauce called coulis. A coulis is nothing more than a fruit or vegetable puree that has been sweetened or seasoned. A coulis is beautiful in color, wonderful in flavor and contains little or no fat or sodium.  Here are some tips on making coulis:
— Puree berries with cantaloupe or peaches.
— Use Splenda® brand sweetener, honey or maple syrup for added sweetness.
— If you’d like to make your coulis creamy, puree a small amount of banana with the berries.
— Use coulis as a sauce for fresh fruit salads, sorbets, or fruit ice, as a dipping sauce for grapes or other berries, or as the start of a great fruit smoothie.
— You can freeze your coulis and make your own fruit ice.
— You can also stir coulis into orange juice for a fun breakfast beverage.
Article Source: http://www.FoodandHealth.comunications
 
Recipe of the Week
Mango Lassi
1 (16-ounce) container vanilla fat-free Greek yogurt
2 cups 1 percent low fat milk
1 cup cubed frozen mango
2 tablespoons measures-like-sugar calorie free sweetener
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachios
Combine first 4 ingredients in a blender; process until foamy. Pour yogurt mixture into serving glasses. Top evenly with pistachios. Yield: 4 servings (serving size about 1 1/3 cups lassi and 1 tablespoon pistachios)
Per Serving:
— Cal 195
— Fat 4.9
— Protein 16.7g           
— Carb 22.1g               
— Fiber 1.4g                      
— Cholesterol 6mg                   
— Iron 0.4mg                
— Sodium 97mg              
— Calcium 297 mg
Recipe Source: Weight Watchers, Five Ingredient, Fifteen Minute Recipes

Article provided by the Oktibbeha County Extension Service, for more information please call 323-5916.