Rocketberry Salad

This salad is simple - just assemble all your favorite fruits and voila! you've got a tasty, nutritious, and colorful starter.

Rocketberry Salad (for 4)
Ingredients:

1 qt. rocket salad mix (otherwise known as arugula)
1 pt. strawberries, halved
1 c. seedless green grapes
1 c. cherry tomatoes
1 c. baby carrots
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar dressing
1 lemon

Directions:

Plate the salad and fruit individually. Sprinkle some squeezed lemon juice over the avocado to prevent browning. Scatter the chopped walnuts and a spoonful of the dressing over each serving.

Optional: Serve with Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc 2007.

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Natural Booster Shots

I hate to say it, but flu season is upon us! Instead of raiding the medicine aisle at CVS, try the following foods - they are some of the best to prevent infection and boost your body's natural defenses:

Photo by Rachel Stone.

Lean beef - Zinc is essential to the development of white blood cells, which are responsible for recognizing and destroying invading bacteria and viruses. Even a slight zinc deficiency can increase your risk of infection, so it is important to get the daily recommended intake of 15 mg. If beef isn't your thing, try zinc-rich oysters, fortified cereals, poultry, yogurt, or milk.

Sweet potatoes - Foods containing beta-carotene are also rich in vitamin A. Why does vitamin A matter? It is important for our skin, which is the first line of defense for our immune system. So think orange: pick up some carrots, squash, pumpkin, or cantaloupe.

Mushrooms - Studies show that mushrooms increase the production and activity of white blood cells, making them more aggressive against foreign bacteria. Try shiitake and maitake varieties for the best defense.

Garlic - Garlic contains allicin, ajoene and thiosulfinates -- three powerful compounds that destroy bacteria and inhibit the growth and reproduction of many viruses. Crush one or two cloves of fresh garlic and add it to virtually any dish to fight illness.

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Tomatoes

Yellow, green, and red tomatoes. Photo by Rachel Stone.

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Friday Blog Lovin' - Mandelbread from Simmer Till Done

Blog: Simmer Till Done


Check out this blog written by a former pastry chef, with flowy writing, beautiful photos, and delicious food. This post about mandelbread reminds me of the same almond-flavored biscotti my mom makes.

Note: Click here to see the original post.

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Hummus - who's your daddy?

Some things never change...especially conflict in the Middle East. Why are we writing about this on a food blog, you ask? Well, the conflict has extended from territorial disputes to culinary disputes. Get the full story from the New York Times here or take a look at what the Jerusalem Post says here. As crazy as this claim seems, I think he's actually right. What are your thoughts?

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What do we have here?

So the saying goes, "That was the icing on the cake," implying icing is just an additional perk (or downfall, as it may be). It turns out people really love their icing. Cruising down the baking isle at Fresh Grocer, I saw the plethora of choices for cakes, cookies, brownies, and my favorite: the crazy varieties of icing! They had chocolate, vanilla, whipped, creamy, cream cheese, mint chocolate, low fat, greens, blues, pinks, confetti. The best (and most gourmet) variety I found was coconut pecan, the classic pairing for German chocolate cake. I suggest adding some pizzazz to your next batch of decadent chocolate cupcakes or cake with coconut pecan icing. Variety makes life exciting, no?

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A Night on the Town

Photo by Alice Gao

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Fun and Philanthropy

This addictive word game is not only a fabulously fun way to waste time (and learn new words that you may never use: entomophilous = pollinated by insects) but also an easy way to make a difference.

According to the website:

"FreeRice has two goals:

1. Provide education to everyone for free.
2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free."

Better than facebook, and your homework.

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Cream & Sugar - Hits the Sweet Spot

Tucked in an unassuming Spruce St. storefront just beyond 40th st., the new shop Cream & Sugar seeks to satisfy Penn’s sweet tooth. In fact, there is hardly anything savory in sight - the handful of bagels is overshadowed by a wall of candy dispensers, a freezer full of ice cream, and a display case of pastries.

Most of the items at Cream & Sugar are not produced on site (except for the cannoli filling and cream cheese, among others), but are sourced to local bakeries in Philadelphia or New Jersey. But the spread covers almost any dessert imaginable, from cupcakes to rice pudding to torrones.

After some deliberation, I bought a blueberry muffin, a chocolate chip cookie, and a chocolate cupcake, intending to eat them over a couple of days. My cookie was delicious, firm on the outside and soft in the middle with just enough chocolate chips. The muffin, covered in clumps of sugar, was too sweet but still enjoyable. The raspberry chocolate cupcake was easily the highlight, as the airy cake included bits of real raspberry and a perfectly complementary icing.

If you ever get a sugar craving, be happy that Cream & Sugar has moved in right up the street. It's ready to sweeten you up.

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Come, Mr. Tally Mon, tally me banana

While in the Fresh Grocer, I stumbled across the red banana. I immediately thought it was something I had to try. The red banana has reddish-purple skin and is smaller and plumper than its yellow counterpart. After peeling it and taking a bite, I also noticed the flesh has a softer, sweeter texture with a tint of pink coloring. Simply delicious! If you're into bananas, I suggest giving the red banana a try. If you're not... it's still a red banana!

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