Eat Your Vegetables Day 2013

By Terry Orr

Eating our vegetables each and every day along with fruit - at least twice a day - preferrably at each meal makes good healthy sense and good for you! Let us not forget those healthy snack during the day as well.

Celebrating our health on Eat Your Vegetables Day - 

June 17, 2013!

(Photos from Google) 

National Carrot Day

Fresh Carrots
(Google Image) 

By Diane Forrest, RN

When I was younger Saturday mornings meant cartoons.  I watched shows like Scooby Doo, Tweety and Sylvester, Pepe' La Pew, roadrunner and coyote and of course Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.   Bugs would always munch away on a carrot and say "Eh What's up Doc?"  It was always such a hoot when he would outsmart Elmer.  I figured that since all he ate was carrots, they must have been the reason he was so smart, so I began eating them too.  I guess I never realized that Elmer was not that bright, so my attempts to outsmart my parents never worked.

Bugs Love's his Carrots
(Google Image)  

Carrots are a root vegetable that is full of Vitamin A and Beta Carotene.   Beta carotene is what gives food its orange color.  Some people use it for:

• Prevention against cancer and heart disease;
• To slow the progression of cataracts;
• To prevent macular degeneration;
• To boost immunity;
• To protect the skin against sunburn;
• Asthma;
• Depression;
• Infertility;
• Parkinson’s disease;
• Psoriasis;
• Arthritis;
• High blood pressure;
• Cervical dyspepsia; and
• Intermittent claudication.

Healthy
(Google Image)

The lack of Vitamin A in the diet can cause poor vision and night blindness.  The vitamin is used for:

• Vision;
• Gene transcription;
• Immune function;
• Embryonic development and reproduction; and
• Bone metabolism.

(Google Image) 

There are many ways to prepare carrots. I like them shredded and raw over salads, or a carrot raisin salad.  They are also delicious cooked in a brown sugar sauce.  I was speaking to my friend who told me his wife put some in chili, but they are also good in soups, casseroles, cakes, or just plain.

Today is National Carrot day, so add some carrots to your lunch or dinner, or try this carrot cake recipe. Did you know that the average person eats 10,866 carrots in their lifetime?   Check this site for more carrot facts: http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/trivia.html

Oh Yummy!
(Google Image)

Carrot Cake

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

Zucchini - veggie or fruit?

Today is National Zucchini Day.  Now you may be saying to yourself...what exactly is a zucchini?  Zucchini is part of the squash family.  More specifically a summer squash, however it can be found all year long in your grocery store.  It is formed from a flower of the zucchini plant and can grow up to 3 feet in length.  It is dark green in color and looks like a cucumber.  Zucchini is normally cooked, while cucumbers are served raw. In a culinary context, zucchini is treated as a vegetable, which means it is usually cooked and presented as a savory dish or accompaniment. Botanically, however, the zucchini is an immature fruit, being the swollen ovary of the female zucchini flower.

Zucchinis can be prepared using a variety of cooking techniques, including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, or incorporated in other recipes such as breads or soufflés.  In Mexico they use the flowers to make a soup, and also used in quesadillas. 

Zucchinis also are packed full of Vitamin A and potassium, and also contain foliate and manganese.  Depending on how they are cooked, they are also low in calories too.  Raw they are 15 calories per 100 grams.

The first time I ate zucchini was at one of my high school graduation lunches.  We went to a restaurant call the Widow Watsons.  It was a quaint little place that had wonderful quiche served with a spinach salad and nut muffin.  Chick food.  We ordered the fried zucchini as as appetizer mostly because it was so exotic sounding.  It was served with horseradish sauce.  For those of you who don't know, horseradish sauce is very spicy!  But the zucchini was sliced into spears and deep fried and was very delicious.  The next time I had zucchini it was baked in bread.  Now you might think this wouldn't be so good, I had my reservations too, but it too was delicious!  It’s a sweet bread like banana bread.  Here is the recipe I use.  While I was doing some research on zucchinis...I came across this site:  http://chocolateandzucchini.com/ Of course I had to check it out. It’s a fun site with lots of recipes from a lady in Paris.  This also confirms my thoughts that chocolate does go with everything! 

So...on National Zucchini Day, grill, bake, fry or steam some today and celebrate squash!

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

• Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
• Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
• Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.