Wednesday, May 31, 2006

eggplant towers with tomato and feta

This is one of my favorite light meal, especially during summer when fresh produce abounds!

  1. First, you'll need a fresh eggplant. Slice it about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch. Put the slices in a baking dish. Gently brush the slices with a little olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Grill at 425F for a couple of minutes on each side.
  2. Make little towers using one slice eggplant, a basil leave or some pesto, a tomato slice, some feta cheese, repeat another time, and finish with an eggplant slice.
  3. Put the towers back on the baking dish and heat in the oven until hot... Serve hot or warm!

Nutritions facts for about 3 towers: 265 calories, 19 g fat, 5 g saturated, 11 g monounsaturated, 3 g polyunsaturated, 17 g carbohydrate, 8 g protein, 7 g fiber. My comment: Delightful!!! This vegetarian entree contains lots of vegetables with healthy fats from olive oil and even a little calcium from the cheese. Mmmmmmmm!

Well, what are you waiting for?

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

oranges

Mmmm! What else to say!
This fruit is probably the symbol of vitamin C
but remember that it contains a lot of antioxydants as well...
...more reasons to grab one!



Can you resist...? Peel yourself one!

Monday, May 29, 2006

avocados...

I just love them! Wether it's in fresh sushis or wether I enjoy it as guaccamole or in any mexican dishes, it's just so deliciously creamy with a nice buttery texture! Brazilians even add it to ice cream... well, that's something I'll have to try if I ever get there! North America's markets mainly offers the Hass variety (75%), which origine is from Guatemala. Fun facts: the avocado is also called an Alligator Pear because of its pear-like shape and green skin. But the name "avocado" is from the spanish word "aguacate", which is from aztec "ahuacatl", which means testicle... Maybe not so appealing at first, but read on, and you'll surely give it a try!
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How do I know it's time to eat it? You'll know that the avocado is ready-to-eat when the fruit (yes, it's actually a fruit, but who cares!) will be firm yet will yield to gentle pressure.

How do I eat it? Cut the avocado lengthwise around the seed. Gently twist the halves to separate them. Use a spoon to take off the seed by sliding it under. Next step is my favorite, just dig in with a spoon or peel it and use it in your recipe.

Why should I eat it? Avocado could benefit anyone's diet. Even if it's the fruit with the highest fat content, it's important to know that it's really low in saturated fat (clogging-arteries fat). Rather, avocados are full of monounsaturated fat (heart-healthy fat). Furthermore, the Alligator Pear is loaded with various health-contributing nutrients such as fibers, folic acid, B6 vitamin, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, as well as vitamin E. Enjoy!

For information and recipes, visit http://www.avocado.org.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

fuel your body

Hi! I'm Aglaée Jacob from Québec City, Canada. Since I've always been interested in nutrition and writing, I decided to start my own blog in order to enjoy 2 of my passions at the same time! Therefore, this blog will be about food, diets, nutrients, phytochemicals, antioxydants, and so on... In a word, this blog will focus on all kind of fuels that can fill up your body with health... And please, forgive me because my mother tongue is French, and my English surely needs to improve. Thus, if I do any mistakes in my posts, feel free to notice me (simply post a comment, it'll be very appreciated)! Thanks!

Santé!