I bought two things at the farmers’ market: Squash and beets. When I bought the beets, the woman asked if I’d ever cooked the greens. No, I had not. She recommended cooking them with olive oil and garlic (two of my favorites).

I grew up on beets; they are one of the few vegetables that I vividly recall eating as a child. I believe that we ate so many that I avoided them when I grew up. Until recently. A friend and I were talking about pickled beets (which she loves) and our conversation reminded me of my childhood. So, I bought a bunch of the dark red beets from my grocery store a couple months ago and pickled them. They tasted better than I remembered when I was younger.

The new bunch I purchased a week ago were colorful: orange or yellowish, and deep red, all covered in soil. I knew that I did not want pickled beets so I search for a different way to prepare them. My local newspaper ran a story earlier this month about how chefs were finding new ways to serve fresh beets, but the recipes accompanying the story were so unappetizing.

Through Google, I came across two recipes that I liked and chose the one that incorporated the greens. The recipe was from the New York Times, and can be served either hot or cold. The story mentioned that beets were good and fresh this time of year, and even better, they contained such nutrients as potassium, magnesium and folic acid. The dish was delicious.

To top it off, I decided to make some lavender lemonade. Fatimah Ali, who writes the Healthy Southern Living blog, and I had had some when we went to see a perfume bottle exhibit a month ago at Longwood Gardens just outside Philadelphia. During the exhibit, Longwood was holding “Fragrant Friday,” which focused on a particular scent. That Friday was lavendar, and we both loved the lemonade so much that we went back for seconds. 

When I came across dried lavender at another farmers’ market recently, I decided to buy some. I shared the small packet with Fatimah, and made a pitcher-full to go with my meal of beets, lima beans with crumbled sage turkey sausage, squash and chicken.

I found a recipe for lavender lemonade from wholeliving.com. It was bit tart for me; next time I’d cut back on the lemon zest.

- Sherry Howard, who writes the Auction Finds blog.

Recipes:

This beet recipe called for Gruyere cheese, but I used what I had on hand: mozzarella, cheddar and feta (what can I say, I love cheese).  I also used Mrs. Dash instead of salt, and left out the chives because I didn’t have any. But I used plenty of garlic.

Beet and Beet Green Gratin (serves 6)

2 bunches beets, both red and golden. You should have about 2 pounds beets and 3/4 pound greens.

Salt to taste

3 eggs

3/4 cup low-fat milk

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup chopped chives (1 bunch)

2 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (1/2 cup)

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Roast the beets. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then cut the ends off, slip off the skins and slice across the equator.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem and wash the greens in two changes of water. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the pot of water comes to a boil, salt generously and blanch the greens for about one minute. (You can also steam the greens until they wilt, one to two minutes). Transfer the greens to the ice water, then drain and squeeze out the water. Chop coarsely.

3. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet, and add the garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant. Stir in the greens. Stir together for a minute, season the greens with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish with olive oil. Beat together eggs, salt (about 1/2 teaspoon), pepper, milk, chives and the Gruyère. Gently stir in the greens and beets. Scrape into the gratin dish. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until set and lightly browned on the top. Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

Lavendar Lemonade

 4 lemons

1/2 cup dried lavender

1/2 cup raw honey

1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest from two lemons, leaving white pith behind. Squeeze all of the lemons for 2/3 cup juice and set aside. In a large pot bring 5 1/2 cups of water and zest to a boil over high heat. Stir in the lavender. Partially cover the pot, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place a large strainer lined with cheesecloth or a damp paper towel over another pot or heat-proof bowl. Strain tea, pressing on herbs to extract all liquid. Stir in honey until dissolved. Stir in lemon juice. Let cool completely, about 45 minutes. Fill four tall glasses with ice. Pour tea over ice and serve immediately.

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On another front, Philadelphia’s Mayor Nutter is making sure that neighborhood pools open up on time. Last summer, the mayor threatened to shut down more than half of the city’s 72 swimming pools and scale back library hours because of budget woes.  Philadelphians were outraged,  and Mayor Nutter and Recreation Commissioner Sue  Slawson responded by launching the Splash and Summer Fund campaign, a corporate and community fund raising partnership designed to keep 69 of the city’s swimming pools opened this season. According to the Recreation Department’s website, there are also plenty of other interesting activities to keep our children engaged, including summer camps and outdoor activities, free or for nominal fees. That’s a very good thing, because on a national scale young people face tougher challenges than they have in decades.

The 2010 Child Well-Being Index recently released by the Foundation for Child Development, reports especially troubling news for parents on the lower economic spectrum and paints a grim picture for this generation of children. In short, the report says poverty, obesity and violence will affect this generation with numerous social and health challenges, wiping out all of the social progress made on behalf of children since 1975.

The Recreation Department’s website lists 150 free recreational activities, ranging from chess tournaments to concerts. But there’s nothing better than a spark of imagination in our homes to compliment those programs. I refuse to tolerate the words “I’m bored” from my two teenagers, so I’ve been web surfing to find simple, low costs things for them to do. Here are some of their projects.

In  Facebook, I  found one of the best safe driving campaign slogans I’ve ever seen. No matter what your religious beliefs, this one drives home a serious point. It reads,  “Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet him.” I’ve challenged my children to create a safety campaign equal to or better than this one.

Scrapbooking is a fun, creative way to get children to document their activities.

Also found on Facebook : Camp CAYA sponsored by Karima “Life Coach K” Roepel. It’s a self-esteem building workshop for teen girls that helps them create their own personal Dream Boards, also known as Vision Boards. If you find Roepel’s class is full, encourage your girls to create their own dream boards. Kids love to dream and getting them to create a vision board gets them thinking about and preparing for their future.

Most public high schools have summer reading lists. Go a step further and choose a book for the entire family to encourage healthy discussions around the dinner table.

Philabundance  is launching the Sharing Your Garden project that encourages people to plant an extra row of vegetables to share. Kids love to watch things grow. Even just a pot on the windowsill can house vegetables to put on the table and to share with neighbors. Since obesity is such a big problem, we can keep our kids interested in helping with family meals by getting them into growing our own healthy food.

These activities encourage communication with our children, which also helps us parents to keep better tabs on their whereabouts.

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My Pesto Pasta is really simple to make, and it’s a real filler for vegetarians. When I’m making a small amount,  and don’t feel like hauling out the food processor to make fresh pesto, I buy a good brand of pesto sauce from Weavers’ Way Co-op, which recently opened up a third state-of-the-art market near me.  (Photo above shows fresh basil and baby spinach from photographer satakiele.)

Pesto is basically made from garlic, fresh basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese and pine nuts, and blended in the food processor. Pesto can be used on any type of pasta, but I also like to serve it with rice, chicken or slices of mozzarella cheese with vine-ripe tomato slices.

Bowtie Pasta with Pesto for 6

Ingredients

One bag of bowtie pasta cooked al dente (slightly firm)

½ cup of fresh pesto sauce

2 cups baby spinach

1 cup grape tomatoes, washed and halved

½ cup shaved parmesan cheese

6 cups of boiling water

Directions

Bring water to a rapid boil and cook pasta for 6-8 minutes (until al dente).

Turn off heat and add spinach to wilt it.

Drain pasta while it’s still hot, and add pesto and tomatoes.

Garnish with parmesan cheese.

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This peppermint  will take over my yard if I let it
but it’s great for making iced tea.

I don’t normally buy too much meat for my family, especially in the summer. We eat a mostly vegetarian diet with a little bit of flesh thrown in. I always buy my chicken from the farmer’s market because the animals are raised on local farms where they receive more humane treatment. Chickens fed on the ground are much healthier than those from commercial farmers because they are nourished outside and in the sunlight rather than being fed  from a feeder in a factory with thousands of others. Plus, factory-grown animals are always shot up with hormones to make them grow abnormally faster.

Also at the farmer’s market, the butcher is willing to custom-pound the meat, which helps to tenderize it before you cook it.

In the summer, I prefer mostly fish, and am starting to eat less and less of it - especially in light of the Gulf oil spill (and who knows how far that will travel).  I’m moving away from seafood as well. Farm-raised seafood, although it might not have the same pollutants found in the ocean, have  other problems such as bacteria. Plus farm-raised fish just isn’t authentic enough for my tastebuds and it doesn’t really taste enough like the ocean.

Which brings me to this: I love vegetables, especially in the springtime. There’s nothing better than a stir-fried or steamed medley of fresh veggies. I love buying my vegetables from the co-op or from local farmer’s markets for pretty much the same reason as for meat. They are much fresher and organic, and those farmers don’t use chemically laced pesticides. In fact, some vegetables are so fresh they still have dirt on their roots.

Every summer I try to grow a few more herbs. Last year I started with peppermint and rosemary, which are both great for seasoning many foods. Peppermint is a weed and it has taken over my garden. This year I added lemongrass and I’m also trying to grow tomatoes. With a small yard I can’t grow too much. But many people are turning their roofs  into roof-top vegetable gardens. I’m not there yet , but still I find that concept fascinating.

I’m at the beginning of growing tomatoes and the experts say I should grow something for them to climb up. Any suggestions?

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Crudites are not only healthy for your kids, but will also help you keep the pounds off. Anyone who’s ever thrown a good party knows about crudites, the  French array of assorted fresh vegetables that are either blanched or served raw on a platter, and surrounded with dips, ranch dressing or hummus.

Crudites are almost always standard fare at banquettes, cocktail parties and dinner parties. But they are also a fabulous snack and are great for ready-to-serve  lunches for school or work.

Simply take broccoli, carrots, peppers, asparagus, mushrooms or any other vegetables – either raw or blanched with a little seasoning in boiling water (for a minute), seal them in ziplock bags for freshness and pack them with dips of your choosing.

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My two youngest daughters are typical teens who love to shop, whether they need clothes or not. Their biggest challenge is that their drawer space is tight. But that doesn’t matter to them because they still keep them packed with clothes that they’ll probably never wear again. And there’s nothing worse than having tons of ill-fitting clothes that you hate, either because they make you feel fat or they’re last year’s styles.

When I examined their drawers, I was shamefully reminded of my late grandmother Susie, who would be appalled because she didn’t believe in waste and only owned three of any pieces of clothing. Her basic rule was: One on your back, one in the drawer and one in the wash. Remembering this, I insisted that my daughters throw away clothes that they no longer use before I’ll buy them anything new. So they’re busy getting rid of stuff and their giveaway piles are huge.

The thing about spring cleaning is that we never realize how much useless stuff we accumulate until we start purging. And that goes for the kitchen as well.

Every week or so, I try to invest in my kitchen. But since I’m not currently in a position to purchase the six-burner Wolf professional stove or the Sub-Zero refrigerator that I dream of owning, I’m busy stocking up on cooking utensils that I can afford. And just like with my closets, every time I buy a new kitchen utensil, I get rid of something else to make space for the new item. Recently, I got rid of my deep fryer and replaced it with a bamboo steamer.

Come to think of it, I can’t even remember where the fryer came from, but it has never served me well. It’s a good thing, too, because just like the dust bunnies and junk that was in my house, I didn’t realize how much weight I’d gained until I went clothes shopping. But many of us neglect ourselves during the colder months.

Maybe it’s because we wear so many clothes to keep warm that we don’t really notice all of the weight that has piled on. Then it’s time to start shedding those layers of clothes and we get to see what a mess we’ve become.

One look in the mirror and I decided to postpone my clothes-shopping trip until I’ve dropped at least two dress sizes. And if you’re anything like me, you’re also probably wishing that you’d been a little more active while it was cold. Now that it’s getting warm, there’s no excuse not to walk, run and get moving.

And as I’ve mentioned in other recent posts, spring is a great time to freshen up our diets, too. Food, like exercise, is seasonal, and we should steam vegetables like baby asparagus, squash or mushrooms. Steaming preserves more of the nutrients and is much less caloric than frying.

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In “Food Rules,” Pollan has penned a very simplistic 137-page book that guides us with these simple rules for better health: “Eat  food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Most of us Americans eat far too much food and our entire dietary setup is based on the wrong formula: meat, starch and vegetables when it should be listed the other way around.

The movie “Food Inc.” points out that even the FDA is guilty of putting corporate greed above our health and that consumerism is based on the need for a select few corporate farmers to profit from filling our bellies with junk. Aside from the horrors of raising animals in slaughterhouses, which will turn even the strongest of stomachs, far too many chemicals are put into our foods to preserve them. Pollan calls this diet “edible food like substances” and warns us to try to stay out of supermarkets. He says it’s much healthier to shop at local farmers’ markets. If we must use supermarkets, his advice is to only shop around the edges where most of the fresh produce is located and not the middle where most of the chemical culprits are stored on shelves.

The movie notes that although cows are meant to graze on grass, they are fed a diet of corn because it’s cheaper. Even chickens are raised in slaughterhouses under horrific conditions and laced with chemicals that make them grow faster. They are infused with hormones that contribute to our nation’s soaring obesity rates and in turn make our daughters develop at young ages, a condition known as “precocious puberty.”

Better for us to patronize co-ops where we can easily find grain-fed animals and chickens that are fed on the ground. An easy way to begin adapting to healthier eating habits is to cut down on meat portions. Pollan says that instead of eating an 8-ounce steak and 4 ounces of vegetables, try it the other way around.

That in mind, my new favorite utensil is a meat pounder, found in any store that sells kitchen wares.

Pounding meat before you cook it not only tenderizes it but also flattens it out and stretches it into more portions. Try this recipe for Chicken Paillards and you’ll find that you’re satisfied eating far less chicken than you might normally.

Chicken  Paillards with Lemon and Mushroom sauce (feeds 6)

3 skinless chicken breasts, sliced through the middle and each pounded to ¼-inch thick

¼ cup virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 fresh lemon

½ cup orange juice

½ cup lemonade

1 cup mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

½ cup fresh cilantro, with six sprigs set aside, then dice the rest

1 tbsp  garlic powder

Salt, pepper to taste

2 tbsp flour  

• Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder
• Heat half of the olive oil until a drop of water sizzles, but don’t make it screaming hot because olive oil burns easily
• Pan sear the breasts until they are brown on both sides. Remove  and set aside
• Saute’ mushrooms and add cilantro, then set aside
• Scrape pan and heat remaining olive oil. Swirl the scrapings (for seasoning)
• Add flour and whisk into a paste
• Add all of the liquids and simmer on low until  it thickens
• Put the chicken, mushrooms and cilantro back in the pan and keep warm until serving
• Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve with salad, rice, asparagus or couscous

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Chinese medicine teaches us that all disease starts in the bowels, and this is an area where more Americans need to pay close attention. Especially since more than half of all Americans are overweight. Our typically high-fat, low-fiber diets as well as too little exercise make most of us breeding grounds for preventable illnesses. No wonder our health-care system is nearly bankrupt! The good news is that most of us can improve our own health and make our lives much better.

Dr. Arnold Ehret, who authored the books “Rational Fasting” and “The Mucous-less Diet Healing System” decades ago, makes the reader keenly aware of our own innate ability to heal our own bodies and minds. He cured himself of several deadly diseases by fasting  but had an untimely death in a tragic accident.  

Healthy bowel habits aren’t a pleasant topic of discussion. However, unless we move our bowels after every meal, chances are we are chronically constipated, and this contributes to all types of disease - from the common cold  to dandruff and cancer. Our grandmothers really knew what they were talking about when they spoke of “being regular.” They gave us cod liver oil and “bitters” ( herbs to de-worm us), particularly in the spring and fall. So unless you’re fully aware of what it means to have a clean digestive track and you’ve regularly participated in fasting and colon therapy, chances are your digestive track is packed with fecal matter that contributes to a plethora of health conditions.

Most of us carry at least 10-15 pounds of putrid waste in our bodies, which lines the intestinal track with parasites and mucous from years of unhealthy living. By having poor health habits – such as not eliminating after every meal or drinking too little water – we set ourselves up for a diseases that are preventable. It is essential that we have this discussion if we want to achieve optimal health!

Ehret stressed that no one should ever begin a fast without strict supervision by a doctor. But we must also prepare our bodies to fast by changing our eating habits first.

Spring is a great time to begin sweeping the intestinal track with such leafy green vegetables as turnips and mustard greens or deodorizing our systems with root vegetables such as fennel. I like fennel in string beans, although it gives them a licorice taste. I simply sauté the fennel in olive oil with fresh garlic and then add the string beans for a savory, aromatic feast. They are especially tasty as a side to lamb, a favorite during Easter and Passover or at the Eid, which follows the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

String Beans with Fennel

Directions

Wash and trim one pound of fresh string beans

Thoroughly wash 1/4  bunch fresh fennel and cut away the roots, which are very tough

Slice the fennel into thin strips and saute’ with 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic in three tbsp virgin olive oil

When fennel is soft, add string beans and saute’ for about 7 minutes until they are bright green and still crispy

Serve warm over a bed of yellow rice or couscous

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Our moms and grandmothers taught us to do deep spring cleaning this time of year. My mother, as did hers, not only made sure that every corner of our home was spic and span, but would also open up all of the windows, clean out closets, and change the bed spreads and curtains throughout the house.

Not only is spring the season to shake the cobwebs out of our homes, but from our minds and bodies as well.

Years ago, when I still worked in radio at WDAS in Philadelphia, political activist and author Dick Gregory came to visit the staff. The station’s management - as they always did when a celebrity came through – ordered what they considered a catered feast, which had the typical southern diet of greens with pork, fried chicken, and macaroni and cheese.

Gregory, who ate none of it and only drank his water, was amused, and quipped that he didn’t have to worry about coming for return visits year after year because half of us would be dead from our cholesterol-laced diets.

I’ve been following Dick Gregory since 1974 when he visited my college Wesleyan University and convinced students to pay attention to what they ate. A man who at one time weighed over 400 pounds, Gregory took his weight management to the extreme and stopped eating anything that didn’t grow out of the ground. He even told us that at one point he got rid of the stove in his house, moved his family to a farm and wrote the book “Natural Foods for Folks who Eat, Cooking With Mother Nature.” He is a huge advocate of fasting, particularly in the spring when we’ve been with out sunlight, stuck under heavy clothes and eaten bulky foods. But make no mistake about it, fasting is serious business and should not be done without knowledge.

I look forward to this time of year because during the winter months I suffer from SAD – Season Affective Disorder. It’s a condition that gives me the blues because of the lack of sunlight. But I also love the spring because it’s the season to fast, change our diets and begin planting vegetable gardens. Right now, I’ve been turning the earth and making sure that the soil in my garden beds is loose. This year I’ll take a stab at planting vegetables as well as the herbs that I keep potted on the kitchen windowsill.  But for now, I’m  excited that the vegetables and fruits are in abundance at the local farmers market.

Fasting is an essential part of the cleansing process. But first, we must prepare our bodies to begin sweeping out the intestinal lining, because if we move the waste from our bodies too fast, it gets into the bloodstream and poisons us. Fasting must be done methodically and deliberately. It’s best to begin by eliminating mucous-producing foods and replacing them with steamed vegetables. If you fast incorrectly, you can die.

I’ll be pulling out my books by Dick Gregory for more guidance before I begin my spring fast. In the meantime, we should begin the cleansing process by eliminating one fatty food per week and replacing it with one live or steamed vegetable.

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All five of my children and my grandchildren cook the same way that I do – by watching and observing, and they’ve been helping me cook all of their lives. There’s always something for them to do when we’re in the kitchen, whether it’s chopping and dicing, washing or seasoning. There can never be too many hands when making dinner. Often, I find that kids love to experiment in the kitchen, and I am all for letting them, as long as they stay within range.

Some of the first lessons I ever taught them about cooking was to use their sense of smell and to be brave, bold and not afraid of making mistakes with their creativity. Sometimes, a simple kitchen gaffe can turn into something fantastic if you’re brave and confident enough to fix it.

When they were infants, my kids were securely packed on my chest in Snugglies while I worked in the kitchen. As toddlers I carefully balanced them on one hip while I stirred my pots. They all started learning how to cook when they were as young as 5, and over the years have developed their own versions of the foods that they’ve tasted and like. The two older ones who long ago moved out still call me whenever they get stuck on a recipe.

I love eating food almost as much as I do preparing it. So, whenever I eat something delightful, I use my taste buds to discern the flavorings and come up with my own version of it. Whether I’m eating out in a restaurant,  at some one’s house or remembering the foods that my grandmothers and parents made, I’ve taken copious mental notes to draw from when I’m back in my kitchen.

Back in 1993 I had landed an anchoring gig at 1010 WINS News Radio in New York City. I was desperately looking for a house in Teaneck, N.J., when we stumbled upon a small café’ called Classic Quiche. We’d stopped there to get directions and, also hungry, were delighted to find that the restaurant’s menu was based entirely around quiche, salad and cream of mushroom soup with spinach – all favorites of  ours. The place was tiny, the kind that two people could easily manage. It seemed to be a franchise and the owner, a delightful woman named Sandra, immediately befriended us. Turns out the house we were looking for and eventually moved into was right around the corner, and Classic Quiche became a regular treat for us.

Ever since then, quiche has been a household staple for my family. Although Sandra long ago sold her restaurant, new owners have maintained its simple format  and it remains located in Teaneck.  Although I never asked Sandra to share her recipes, I’ve since become an avid quiche student.

My brother-in-law Bill, who will whip up a quiche on a moment’s notice, has taught me that it’s the perfect comfort food. One, because it’s simple to make, and two, because it can serve as a whole meal in one or as a side dish. I love quiche for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and it’s great either all by itself or with a salad. Quiche is also good as an appetizer, and can be served either right from the oven or cold for lunch the next day. Best yet, it’s simple to make as well as nourishing, and  it has all of the essential nutrients that we need in our diets.

Quiche can include virtually any type of food that you want it to. You can make an entire pie-sized quiche or tiny ones to serve as appetizers. Every time I make quiche my children help develop new combinations. They came up with this one quite by accident when they added soy crumbles.

Spinach/Soy Quiche

Pre-heat oven to 375°F

6 eggs

1 cup mild cheddar cheese (grated)

1 cup Gouda cheese (grated)

¼ cup freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

1 box frozen chopped or whole-leaf spinach, thawed and drained completely

1 pint light cream

1/4 cup 2% milk

2 prepared pie crusts

(Read ingredients on the crust to avoid lard and use prepared crusts made with 100% vegetable oil)

¼ cup soy crumbles

5 button mushrooms, capped and sliced

1/2 vine-ripe tomato (sliced)

Directions

• Beat the eggs and mix with light cream, milk, Gouda and cheddar cheese, and set aside
• Place pie crust in the oven for seven minutes  and then remove them (this takes out the moisture)
• Line the bottom of the crust with soy crumbles
• Whip spinach with eggs, milk and cheese mixture. Bake for 40 minutes until the center is almost firm
• Carefully place mushrooms and sliced tomatoes on the top (they’ll burn if you cook them the entire time)
• Sprinkle with shaved Parmesan and lower heat to 325° F
• Bake for another 20 minutes until cheese is melted and the center is firm.

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