Three cheers for the red, white and blue

Written by Robin Glowa
Tuesday, 06 July 2010 09:01

Hooray for the sweet days of summer. Farmers markets are open and offering the best in early summer produce, such as string beans, lettuces, zucchini, herbs, and best of all, fresh berries.

Blueberries and raspberries are nature’s candy, filled with naturally delicious sugary flavor. A big handful of berries added to a bowl of cereal or yogurt, or mixed into a creamy smoothie is a wonderful way to jump start a healthy day.

Berries are a vivid, versatile ingredient, adding lively flavor and bright color to salads and salsas. Berry salsas are particularly tasty served with grilled fish, chicken or pork, zesting up the meat with a perky piquancy. A lovely summer hors d’ouevre may be prepared by topping water crackers with a thin smear of goat cheese, and topped with berry salsa. Buttery baby lettuces dressed with a light, lemon vinaigrette, topped with blueberries and toasted almond slivers makes a sumptuous summer salad.

Berries are a rich source of antioxidants, particularly blueberries. Antioxidants work to protect the cells of the body, as well as preventing disease and keeping the body healthier as it ages. Including more berries in the diet may help keep skin looking younger, while also reducing the effects of sagging skin.

These super sweet little beauties will keep the body beautiful inside and out. Raspberries, blueberries and strawberries are all excellent sources of vitamin C and soluble fiber. The soluble fiber content may be quite helpful in lowering cholesterol, while all those antioxidants and vitamins may lower the risk of cancer.

Blueberries have the added benefit of preventing and treating urinary tract infections. It is thought that blueberries may have a powerful effect on reversing short term memory loss and maintaining a healthy brain. That’s a lot of power in a little package.

Love your body by preparing a delicious life with fresh berries!

Summer Berry Salsa

1 1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1 cup canned stewed tomatoes with their juices

1/3 cup very finely chopped sweet onion

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 minced garlic clove

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Using a fork, mash the raspberries in a medium bowl. Stir in the tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, brown sugar, garlic, cumin and salt. Add vinegar or lemon juice, little by little to taste. You may like it extra vinegary, or not much at all. (Spectacular served with grilled pork tenderloin.)

Robin Glowa, HHC, AADP, is a food and wellness enthusiast who earned her certification in holistic health counseling from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Columbia University Teachers College.

She specializes in teaching healthy cooking classes for children and adults, as well as cooking presentations and wellness workshops for many local organizations.

For more information go to theconsciouscook.net call 203-393-1037, or http://confessionsofaconsciouscook.blogspot.com.