Let's Talk Fruit - Grapes

Taking a few minutes to myself now tonight. My kitchen is *almost* clean from all the dirty dishes and what is left, I can do in the morning just as well so now for a small post.

I still can't believe how many gluten free people can't get over the 'look at all the stuff I can't eat' factor instead of looking inside themselves to go past that and change their outlook to 'look at all the great stuff I CAN have!' attitude!

Again, FRUIT! There is so much of it, so many different kinds from what we consider every day fruits to really exotic ones. Today, lets talk a bit about grapes. There are so many different kinds with all sorts of varied flavors from really sweet to really bitter to everything in between. They all have massive health benefits too! The darker the grape, the better too but they all are great for you. Have you ever ended up eating a 'bunch' of grapes and felt FULL from it?? I know I have!

Did you know there is only *1* continent that does not cultivate grapes in some form? That means 99% of the world produces grapes of some sort! Damn that is a LOT of grapes! From eating versions to ones produced just for wine to ones made just for making raisins... think of the endless possibilities when it comes to this great fruit not only when it comes to eating it straight up but when drinking the wonderful juice or it's wine version or even when dried into raisins for cooking or baking!

These little pieces of fruit heaven have so many benefits to health that they are considered another 'super food'. Red wine is even considered to be part of a good diet! Within reason of course!

Benefits include...
 ~ help prevent certain oxygen-related enzymes from becoming overactive.
 ~ increase our blood levels of glutathione.
 ~ help protect cell membranes from free radical damage.
 ~ lowers levels of oxygen reactive molecules in our blood.
 ~ reduce oxidation of fat.
 ~ lower biomarkers of oxidative stress.

These are just a few scientific benefits, look up 'health benefits grapes' and read up for yourself! They are even considered to be in the berry family and we all know that ANY type of berry comes with amazing health benefits. Now on that note, remember, they are NATURALLY gluten free! Go on, wash up a bunch and nibble away, they are GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH!

Lets Talk Exotic - Red Raspberries

I would still classify these wonderful deep red beauties in the 'exotic' field. I'm not sure exactly why but I would think due to their cost even on the best of seasons around here. Right now, even though we are very close to officially being summer, they are still at the best price of 2.99euro (about 5 USD).

However, berries... ANY berry... are well worth the cost they come at to include in your gluten free diet! Remember, any fruit is naturally gluten free not to mention soooo good for you.

Today I present some wonderful photos I took earlier in the year of some really nice raspberries that I bought. These ones if memory serves me right were the ones I froze for my Raspberry Pancakes Recipe. You'll be pleasantly surprised at just how easy it is to infuse these beauties into cooking, baking and just every day life!

Remember, almost all berries are now considered 'super foods' due to their high nutrient content! Raspberries are not only sweet and wonderful in color but their antioxidant properties are off the scale!

Let's Talk Fruit - Belgian Strawberries

Strawberries... yes it's becoming that time of year. The first batches of these wonderful little pieces of naturally gluten free sweetness have hit the selves of our local fruit stands and supermarkets!

I think already I've bought at least a dozen containers and I know I'll buy at least another 50 before the season is done. They are not at their peek yet but they are pretty damn good considering for the last weeks we have hardly seen the sun and the temps don't hardly go above 60f.

Now why do I have a post specially on 'Belgian' strawberries? That is simple! I'm american, I have always grown up with these ultra dark large strawberries. You know the kind... the 'bigger the better' types that typically look as dark as a brick house and you can only guess if they will be a bit sweet or sour. And dare they have any parts of green on them, most Americans would shun away from them because that tells them it's going to be even a bit sour. Yes those... those are the strawberries most Americans know.

Now if you have ever had a chance to have Belgian strawberries, you will NEVER want to turn back to those horrid little almost pre-coloured looking things you were use to. These little treasures are going to be 99% sweet if you know how to pick them out. Picking them out is not rocket science as it is with the ones sold in America. As long as these beauties have a roundish look to them, a medium size (very rarely are these ever 'large' like you might find in the American versions) and do not have green bottoms, you are almost sure you will have a good batch.

These strawberries will be and almost always are a pale red but can be a bright red when they are in their perfect peek season. Then they are the best you can get and are sold at under 2 euro a package.

Remember, all fruits are naturally gluten free and I promise if done right, will freeze VERY well if you want to save these for cooking and baking later in the year when the season is done and the cold nip is back in the year.

Strawberries are easy to freeze... I would suggest though that you do not freeze them for just eating plain as you might from a fresh bought container. Once frozen they change texture a bit and although they are just as good for eating, they won't give you the satisfaction that the fresh unfrozen version will. Instead freeze them for uses in such things as fresh smoothies and other desserts what will meld the strawberries into it. You'll get the wonderful sweetness and taste without noticing the texture change.

Freezing can be done in 2 ways. You can of course pre-cut them, removing the hauls and stems or you can just place the whole berry in there but I personally like to take the time to at least remove the hauls. I would suggest not doing more then a half cut strawberry if you choose to cut them before freezing and whole is even better. You can leave them unwashed for much easier freezing or if you wish to wash them first, simply lay them out in a single layer on paper towels and let completely dry. Place them in FREEZER BAGS first and if you want to have an extra layer of protection, then place them in a container meant for the freezer. This will ensure they will not get frost bitten before one wants to use them. These will keep nicely if done right and not rushed in the beginning for any where from 6 months to a year in the freezer. Perfect to make something wonderfully fruity such as warm strawberry compote for ice cream on some windy/rainy fall evening or cutting up after thawed to add to some home-made apple sauce!

Let Us Talk 'Exotic' - Doughnut Peaches

It becoming that time of year again... all of my wonderful spring and summer fruits and veggies will be coming into full cycle soon and I thought today would be a good day to write about another little treasure that I am impatiently awaiting.... doughnut peaches or otherwise known as a Saturn Peach.

These little pieces of natural gluten free heaven are about as sinful as they are good for you. If eaten ripe, they are so juicy that you will need a napkin with them, they are so sweet you will think you were eating a piece of candy and they as so flavourful that you would think that you had just spent hours in the kitchen preparing them with all sorts of exotic flavours.

Any fruit is good for you and when you are living or must live the gluten free life style, we sometimes forget the most simple of things are naturally gluten free. Normal peaches are good for you as well but they are usually large and it's really a hit and miss thing if you get a really good ripe juicy full of flavour one but when you choose to find these little beauties called 'Doughnut Peaches' due to their squished in roundness that looks a lot like a doughnut with a very small seed right in the middle that would be the 'hole' of the doughnut you will not have to guess if they will be sweet and juicy as long as you remember to pick them out ripe or let them ripen a bit at home.

As with any fruit, peaches do have health benefits as well. This wonderful piece of fruit contains a large amount of fibre and on top of it important nutrients such as niacin, thiamine, potassium, calcium and beta carotene which is a vital antioxidant that converts into Vitamin A.

So when your out at your local farmer's market or your local fruit store or even your every day grocery store and crave something sweet that is good for you, look for these little beauties, you'll be very glad you did. Don't forget, there are LOTS of recipes that call for fresh peaches. Keep an eye out later in the summer months for some posts from me on recipes using this season's wonderful summer fruits.

Fruit Talk - Green Grapes

Do you remember my post just yesterday where in my smoothie recipe I asked you to think hard on if you took the small things for granted? This is another of those small things I think is important. I LUV fruit and veggies. And I think (and believe) that the more colour to the selection you eat, the better you will feel. Not only do I think one will feel wonderful but they will have more energy and will even look better not only to themselves but to others also. I also believe in the thought that eating fruit and veggies never made any one fat. Just remember with that thought, it's what you put ON or WITH them that does. Sure it's quite tasty and nice to dip veggie sticks in dressing or an apple slice into caramel dip but that is where people steer wrong. It's not eating too much fruit or veggies, it's all about what you put on them. I promise that you will feel full on a couple cups of grapes, have only half the calories and none of the fat that you'll take in by grabbing that naughty snickers bar.

So lets talk about wholesome food... natural, wonderfully coloured, sweet, filling and simply all around good for you, GRAPES! I do have to admit I do let it show that I'm American when it comes to grapes (watermelons and olives too btw) by the way that I prefer them and has to be seedless. That usually isn't a problem out here in the grape department but it does come with a slightly higher price then the seeded one. I would rather take the smaller price difference then deal with spitting seeds out as I try to enjoy a nice cup of them though.

Green, purple, blue, globe... what ever kind or colour you prefer. Mine are personally green but I also like their purple counter part. I do also like the purple globe grapes but only when I'm in the mood to deal with the seeds and to be honest those are really the only ones I'll put up with for the seeds as they are usually so huge in size that 3 or 4 seeds are nothing to fight with as compared to a normal sized green grape.

Fruit in general is good for you. It's always going to be naturally gluten free and I think it's sadly left alone in the dark when people get into the mind set of 'what do I eat that doesn't have gluten or milk or lactose or ~ insert dietary requirement ~'. Even diabetics seems to get into this mind set. Yes it's still sugar but it's natural sugar and the kind your body needs... you just can't go eating 4 pieces at a time or in this case 2 cups or more. But remember this is a gluten free experience, not a low sugar or sugar free experience!

Grapes... go to your local grocery store or fruit stand and grab some! It's still season and more often then not even in the off seasons, you'll find them also and just as wonderful... just slightly more expensive. You can do soooo many things with them (will post some recipes later on) but for now, just go grab a wonderful bunch, chill them in your fridge for a couple of hours for a refreshing sweet and filling treat and just enjoy the ending days of summer the best as you can!

Let Us Talk 'Exotic' - Goose Berries

Another day, another fruit. Ok ok ok! Another month and another exotic fruit! Today I'd like to offer you a couple of cute little photos of something that are again quite common out here as compared to the USA. In the USA English, they are known as Goose Berries.

These little gems are not for the faint of heart though. They are quite bitter, especially if you buy certain types. But they are such a wonderful colour, shape and have this fuzzy little fur on them that I had to make a place for them in my blog. They are packed with nutrients (like most fruit obviously but more so since they are in the berry family) and again as most fruit, 100% naturally gluten free.

Enjoy the couple of photos and check out the WIKI LINK for some more in-depth information on these wonderful little globes of fruit. My husband is particularly fond of these.

Recipe - Strawberry, Orange & Banana Smoothie

We all really do seem to take the more simple things in life for granted when we are forced to live a way we wish we didn't have to, such as the case with having to live gluten free or milk free. I've noticed people even tend to do this for lifestyles they don't have to live but choose to live.

So today's post is geared toward breakfast for a change. I don't post much about breakfast because I get very few chances to cook a big breakfast that I can take photos of or even use a recipe for since my loving husband only has off on weekends and leaves work at 7ish in the morning, just not the best of times to whip up a big breakfast! But once and a while you'll find a breakfast post. I mean I do this so rarely that I even have a brand new waffle maker sitting here in it's box, never opened, never used... and if that isn't sad enough, it's been here for months now.

Are you one that takes the simple things in the life of being gluten free for granted? Do you not realize exactly how many natural foods are at your finger tips that are already naturally gluten free? I mean really think about it for a moment. Do you forget that eggs are a god send being packed full of easy to digest protein that has now even been researched as being even better for you then first thought? I know most of us must have an gluten free alternative to bread be it home-made or store bought... do you realize the endless combos you can do on toast such as peanut butter & banana, simple butter & jams, apple butter or go all out and make french toast! Want even more? Think about those eggs again but don't think fried or scrambled or 'ick, I've done eggs so many times and always the say way' but think frittata, think omelets, think scrambles with meat/cheese/veggies.... you can do countless things with eggs that are all natural and all 100% gluten free without ever having to worry about reading labels!

So that is what has brought me to my post today. How simple can you get then fresh/frozen fruit, yoghurt, juice and some thing natural perhaps for sweetening? The only thing special for smoothies that you must have is a blender that is able/features crushing ice. For me that means my wonderful 'bullet'. It comes not only with the smaller container to use with it that most Americans reading this go 'yea I know that thing' but it also comes with a 1 litre blender pot with lid. I've used it almost weekly in some form or fashion since I got it. If you have that, all you need are the ingredients! Oh and no tips this time!

Ingredients
 ♥ 1/2 cup to 1 cup frozen strawberries (store bought work well but fresh work too just freeze them first)

 ♥ 1 banana (any size you want, this isn't science)
 ♥ 1/2 cup to 1 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed works wonders but bottled is just as good)

 ♥ 1/2 cup plain low-fat yoghurt (low fat Greek style works very well too)

 ♥ 1 to 2 tsp honey or Agave syrup (very optional... it's for taste, if you want it sweeter add this, if it's sweet enough, leave it out all together)

Directions
This does have to have some direction to it as you need to make sure the stuff blends well so I'll give you my way/version. First place strawberries in ice crushing ability style blender, then banana, then pour in the orange juice. You need to use at least some orange juice as the liquid for this or it won't blend but I will say this, use as much or as little as you wish to change how thick or thin you want it. I like it kind of in between so I add about a cup worth. Then add the yoghurt. Usually with store bought strawberries, they tend to be a bit bitter so I also add the 2tsp honey to mine, add this right on top of the yoghurt but make sure it's the end product because otherwise it will stick to every thing except get blended into the smoothie.

Cover properly, pulse a few times and then blend for about a minute. Serve how ever you'd like, I prefer a pretty purple cup that I bought specially for my smoothies (insert pamper yourself thought) and enjoy! It's great for hot summer mornings as a good 'gotta run but need something' style breakfast but it also great as a snack or even a side to lunch.

Don't forget that smoothies can be made any style and with almost any mix of ingredients and as long as you stay away from the more odd things like wheat germ, you are almost promised a naturally gluten free treat. 

Let Us Talk 'Exotic' - Wild Lychee

Do you ever feel adventurous when it comes to trying new foods? I do often as long as it's not totally out there such as eating bugs or something. This is what brings me to my post today. We have some of the most wonderful fresh fruit and veggie shops around here and when it becomes the wonderful spring and summer months, they become just packed with all sort of new and hidden treasures from mangos to papaya and to some things such as wild lychee fruit. There are so many wonderful and all natural items to be found in the produce section of even just your local grocer but if you have a chance to get to speciality store that carry even more in the way of exotic, go and visit!

Today's post though is about the wonderful but sadly neglected lychee. There are of course more then one varieties but mostly between 2... wild and farmed.

The other week while I was visiting one of my most beloved fruit stores when I came across these kind of odd almost spiny looking round things. As curious as I am about the world around me, I read enough of the sign that was with them to make out that they were indeed lychee fruit. So I bagged up a few (they are expensive compared to the farmed version!) and in my basket they went.

It took me a few days before I cut into them though but I sure am glad that I did. I would suggest though that when you buy this kind that you buy it not for the sake of making any kind of recipe that calls for this fruit due to the labour involved in getting the fruit from it's shell, the price that comes with it and the fact that they are just so special in the way of fruit. Use them as a nice little plate garnish or cut one up and put it in a glass of fruity wine (they even make lychee wine!) but what ever you do use them for something special!

The fruit itself without it's shell is not any bigger then about an inch long and not perfectly round but more oblong in shape. It's shell is semi-hard to the touch but breaks away quite easily once a slit is made in it. They do not have the kind of shell that you should 'hit' against something like say you would do to a hard boiled egg to remove the shell. Take a small shape knife to the shell and VERY carefully make a slit. The skin is less then 1mm thick ... it's more of a hard skin then a shell really. Then you should be able to get into the slit to find this wonderfully white and juicy little fruit piece inside. All lychees unless processed have this kind of skin thin shell but the wild lychee has this wonderfully spiky (but soft so don't be afraid of handling them!) look to it where as the farm grown ones have no spikes at all and have a very pinkish to dark pinkish colour.

** Farmed lychee photo from taste.com.au from their article on lychee cooking tips **

Once you've uncovered the little white ball from within it's shell, I suggest for the first time that you just pop the little guy whole into your month because if they are ripe and ready, they will be very juicy. Be cautious though because inside this fruit lays a very hard and rather large seed. It takes up about 1/4th to 1/2 the size of the fruit and is hard! But eating the wonderful white flesh away from it is very easy and you'll be rewarded with a very nice sweet experience.

If you want to ever try a lychee without all the hassles of getting it out of the shell or having to deal with the seed, a lot of stores now carry these little fruits already prepared for you in cans (sometimes jarred) in syrup but unless you are making something that calls for more then a half cup of lychees I would suggest you NEVER by these as not only will you 99% of the time only find them in syrup (not even real fruit juice like you can find pineapple in for example) but again they go into the 'less processed the better' rule that I try to make a point of within my writings.

When you go for fruit and veggies... go for fresh! Better tasting, no added/unwanted extra sugars, no added salts (like you find in canned veggies for example, no lose of vitamins due to the storing process and no other processing crap. 100% all natural and 100% promised to be gluten free! How much better can you get then that?? Don't forget a lot of places even offer you already prepared fruit and veggies done right there in the store too if you don't have time for preparing it, just make sure they get it fresh and prepare it fresh and if they preserve it for the fridge shelf that they use juice to store it in and not sugared syrups.