Tomatillo Sauce

From left to right, a tomatillo with it's papery husk, a tomatillo
with the husk still attached at the top, and a peeled tomatillo.

Tomatillos are not tomatoes but are part of the same family.  Tiny seeds inside look like the tomato and it is easy to see why the mistake is often made.  They come wrapped in an inedible paper-thin husk which is removed before cooking and eating.  The tomatillo inside is slightly sticky and needs to be rinsed off before proceeding.

Tomatillos made into green sauce is divine.  I am such a nut for this sauce that I make it and freeze it so I can have it year round.  Tomatillo sauce is great in tacos and enchiladas and is prominent in Mexican cooking.  Mix it into pulled pork or shredded chicken as a great base for tacos or burritos.   Another idea is to spoon tomatillo sauce over poached eggs on corn tortillas, a green version of huevos rancheros.  Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by Tyler Florence on foodnetwork.com. 

Makes 2 cups                    Prep and cooking time:  about 30 minutes

1 pound whole fresh tomatillos, husk removed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/4 - 1/2 fresh jalapeno, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the tomatillos and add to a pot along with the garlic, onion, and jalapeno.  Add water to cover the vegetables and bring to a boil.  Cook until the tomatillos are tender, about 7-10 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeno go into the pot with
enough water to cover.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked vegetables from the pot and place in a blender.  Add the cilantro and blend until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

If you like more heat, add more jalapeno.  If you like a bit of tartness, squeeze lime juice into the mix.

Add done!

An entire batch of tomatillo sauce offers almost 10 g fiber, about 5 g protein, and about 170 calories.  I usually limit or omit the salt.  Just go easy on it.

- Kim Fielding

Fresh Corn Salsa

Colorful corn salsa has zip with lime, jalapeno, and cilantro
 seasoning.  Avocado may also be added to this delightful salad
which is delicious on the side or over meat, chicken, or fish.

Serves:  4                  Prep time:  10 minutes

3 radishes, diced
2 slices red onion, diced
1 ear of corn, cooked (preferably grilled)
1/2 sweet pepper, diced
1/4 jalapeno, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lime, squeezed
salt to taste
splash of oil, optional

Corn in season should be consumed as soon after harvesting as possible.  There is a high starch content in corn which begins to break down right after picking.


Shave the corn off the ear and mix with all other ingredients.  That's it!

Each serving offers about 55 calories, almost half your daily requirement for vitamin C, and about 1-1/2 g. fiber.

- Kim Fielding

Radish, Pea and Red Onion Salad

Radish, snow or snap peas, and red onion offer a
crisp and refreshing salad for any hot-day meal.

This colorful salad comes together quickly and can be served over meats or (in the above case) fish, or as a base salad with chicken, beef, or pork on top.  If you prefer this as a salsa or dressing, dice the vegetables rather than slice them.  I found this recipe on the internet but can't for the life of me remember where.  Possibly foodnetwork or epicurious.  I apologize in advance for not giving credit where credit is due but will look for the source.  In the meantime, enjoy.

Serves:  6                    Prep time: 15 minutes

1 small red onion, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 bunch radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 pound snow peas, thinly sliced (you can use snap peas too)

4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons canola or other light vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Thinly slice 1 red onion and 1 bunch radishes. Soak in ice water, 5 minutes; drain and pat dry. Whisk 4 teaspoons rice vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon each Dijon mustard and sugar in a bowl. Whisk in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add 8 ounces thinly sliced snow peas, the onion and radishes. Season and serve.

Calories per serving is approximately 65 with a good dose of vitamin C and iron.  Fiber and protein is about 2 grams per serving.

- Kim Fielding

Fresh-picked Snap Peas

A glimpse of our garden in April and May.  The peas are almost
 done but we are enjoying every pod that ripens before we move on
to our next crop.

Snap peas are most delicious when they are picked fresh.  More often than not, I will ask someone to pick them from the garden and what comes back in the basket is a slim offering.  Hmmm... the smiles on the faces indicate the pleasure of eating truly fresh produce just off the vine.  If you aren't able to grow them yourself, stroll through your local farmer's market or take advantage of the seasonal availability of this vegetable in your grocery stores.  One of the added benefits of buying seasonal and fresh produce is that it is usually less expensive than other out of season vegetables.

Simply wash the peas.  It is your choice whether or not to remove the ends.

We serve them raw.  Crunchy, sweet, addicting.  This is such a great appetizer or side dish in its simplicity.

One cup of raw snap peas has about 115 calories, about 7-1/2 grams fiber, almost 8 g. protein, almost a full daily allowance of vitamin C, and a third of our requirement for thiamin and manganese.  There are of course several other vitamins and minerals represented in this delicious food.  Enjoy.

- Kim Fielding

Exercise - Hiking

We love good healthy food and we like to write about it.  Dr. Mariam is the expert on what happens to our bodies when we put certain food products into them and she specializes in diabetes and obesity-related diseases among other things.  She brings such passion to informing the public about disease prevention that she conceived this blog.  I, on the other hand, know a lot less about the medical department but my passion is for cooking and nutrition.  With young people around both of our homes, we make it a point to cook consciously for them and with them that they may take their experiences into college and beyond.

Hiking in the Sierras.  For those of you familiar with this site,
Devil's Peak is in the background of this amazing overlook.
 One of our favorite walks - about two hours roundtrip. 
Despite all the snow and cool temperatures, I had to take
my sweatshirt off after making it to the top - refreshing!
May 7, 2012

With that said, what we haven't talked about yet is exercise.  Depending on where you live, hiking or walking outdoors may not be an option year-round.  Fresh air and time outdoors is vital to our health.  But just as important is physical movement.  During the winter in a snowy climate, how do you get enough exercise if you go to work everyday and can't conceive of skiing on the weekends to burn off extra calories?

Dr. Mariam is a firm believer in counting steps.  Walk 10,000 steps every day.  Purchase an inexpensive pedometer and fix it onto your belt or waistband.  Take a week or so to track how many steps you take each day and start to think about increasing that amount.   (I am guessing that most people who meet the 10,000 step challenge don't really need to worry about increasing that amount).

If you work in a multiple story building, try walking the stairs and build up to doing them more and more.  Incorporate walks during lunch and coffee breaks around buildings.  Of course you have all heard this one... park farther away from the entrance to your stores and office buildings.  Personally, I love all the fun videos out there to help you "shake your booty" in the privacy of your living room which allows you tons of giggle moments and burning calories at the same time.

If you have never exercised before and are thinking of trying it out, check with your doctor to make sure you don't have any health problems first.  Go into this process slowly until you feel comfortable with pushing yourself a little farther.

Walking cross-country for 1-1/2 hours burns about 490 calories
Slow-walking (about 2 miles per hour) burns about 2 calories per minute
Walking the dog burns about 3 calories per minute

I am not a fast walker.  I need to pause and catch my breath often
in these high altitude hikes.  The point being, take your time,
enjoy the scenery, drink water often, and just relax.

I love fitday.com where I pulled up these statistics.  Fitday.com helps with everything from goal setting to food tracking and calorie counting in addition to tracking exercise and your weight.  However, if you have another internet favorite that helps you track your exercise, go for it.  The most important thing is to just do it. 

- Kim  Fielding