| Onions | It's almost impossible to imagine cooking without onions. These inexpensive root vegetables are indispensable in the kitchen, forming the flavor base of dishes from stir-fries to stews. The onion family includes leeks, garlic, scallions and the familiar variety of onion bulbs. Raw onions are filled with sulfur-it's a defense against being eaten by animals-and the pungent, eye-stinging quality that makes cooks teary-eyed is transformed when cooking into the rich, savory flavor that enhances many dishes in many different cuisines. The sulfur compounds have also been shown in animal tests to be helpful in preventing certain cancers. Keeping the onions in an ice bath for a few minutes before chopping can slow the sulfuric reaction and keep cooks from crying over their knife. |
| Oranges | Orange season is a good reason to love winter. Cold weather and the sweet-tart citrus fruit go well together. Since winter is prime time for cold and flu, the vitamin C in oranges is an added benefit. Oranges are high in vitamin C; one orange contains 130% of the vitamin's recommended daily allowance. Oranges are grown all over the world, though they're thought to have originated in Southeast Asia. Brazil is the world's largest orange producer, followed by the United States. American oranges are grown in Florida and California. Their juice is a popular beverage, at breakfast especially, and is now often fortified with additional vitamins and minerals like calcium and iron. When you drink the juice, rather than eating the fruit, you miss out on the orange's fiber. |
| Organic | The word “organic” can be used to describe a means of producing food, such as an organic farm, or as a way to identify individual foods that use organic ingredients. Animals that are used to produce organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products are not given antibiotics or growth hormones, and crops that are grown organically are done so without the use of conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge, bioengineering or genetic engineering, or ionizing radiation, according to information from the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP). In addition, before a product can be labeled "organic," a government-approved certifier inspects the facility that grows, handles, or processes the food to make sure all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards are being met. When it comes to identifying individual foods, the label or terms used will vary, depending on the percentage of organic ingredients in a product, according to information from the NOP. Fruits or vegetables that display the USDA Organic seal, for instance, must contain at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients. If a box of cereal uses a label such as “made with organic ingredients,” on the other hand, it must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. |
| Peanut Butter | A regular exercise regimen needs solid nutrition to back it up--namely, whole grains, fruits and vegtables, and lean proteins. The calories from your food fuel your exercise regimen, so the better you eat, the better your workout. Peanut butter is a great, healthy food to add to your diet. An inexpensive and versatile protein source, peanut butter also is full of the healthy fats that raise good cholesterol levels in the blood. When spread on whole grain toast or crackers, peanut butter provides steady, satisfying energy for hours. A peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat takes a minute to make and is easy to transport, making it ideal, healthy fast food. |
| Peas | Spring's here, and there are few seasonal treats that please like peas. Shell peas, also known as garden or English peas, are a sweet, tender, versatile veggie that can be used in numerous of ways, including pasta dishes, salads, or simply steamed, tossed with fresh herbs and a little butter, and served as a side dish. Snap peas and snow peas, both with edible pods, are common in stir-fries and other Asian-inspired dishes. Try steamed snow peas tossed with minced ginger, sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds. Steamed, chilled peas are great for snacks and quite kid-friendly--try adding a bag of them to the lunchbox. With garden peas, it's best to use them as close to their time of harvest as possible, as like corn, the sugars convert to starch after picking and the peas lose their sweetness. However you use them, be sure to get your fill during the sweet, brief pea season. |
