Put some color in your diet!!

Getting children to eat a varied diet is important so that they get all the essential vitamins and minerals they need. I know so many children who will only eat chicken and macaroni and cheese, as well as burgers and hot dogs. This is because their parents start too late to introduce new foods. Once they become used to a diet of processed, salt laden and sugar laden foods it is difficult to get them to eat other more nutritionally sound food that does not have these addictive qualities.

A friend of mine has a 3 1/2 year old son and I am so impressed with how he eats everything because his parents gave him a varied diet, of whatever they were eating from an early age. So many adults give children simple foods and cook differently for themselves. This is unnecessary. This is a half Russian half Dominican child who will eat hot Indian curry and is always willing to try something new because he never received a formula diet but was exposed to different cuisines and foods as soon as he could chew. I love cooking different things for him and seeing his reaction.

One way to make vegetables and other food more appealing is by using colorful vegetables. It just makes things more interesting and they might be willing to try it just because it is different.
Although not always available in your local supermarket, gourmet supermarkets and farmers markets often have wonderous varieties of vegetables like rainbow carrots (seen here) and orange cauliflower and blue potatoes. Not only does it make it more interesting, but food with color is also high in antioxidants, like blueberries and beets. Another good reason to use colorful vegetables for us adults who are always trying to watch our weight is that when food is really interesting and varied, you need less of it to feel satiated.

Last Sunday, with inspiration from Jamie Oliver, I made a dinner using colorful vegetables. While it sounds awfully gourmet, extremely simple to make.

Poisson with Rainbow Carrots and Blue Potatoes (you can substitute Cornish Hens if you cant find poisson and use regular carrots and potatoes if you cant find colorful ones, but do try!!!)

2 poisson
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
2 teaspoon dried savory
a few sprigs of sage
2 teaspoons minced chopped garlic
4 slices bacon
1 bunch rainbow carrots, peeled and sliced
6 blue potatoes, peeled and quartered
Olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Stick one sprig of sage and the garlic inside the cavity of each poisson. Season the birds liberally with the tarragon and the savory. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a roasting pan.

Season the vegetables with salt, pepper and olive oil. Place in roasting pan around bird with some more sprigs of sage.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Place bacon over birds and bake another 15 minutes.

Bacon will be crisp and everything will be cooked to perfection. If using Cornish Hens, add another 15 minutes to cooking, before adding the bacon.

Serve with a simple salad of tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

This was my dinner last Sunday night and you can make this delicious meal yours with not a lot of work.

Enjoy!!

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mireille@globaltastesinc.com
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Cassava-Yuca-Manioc

Depending what part of the world you come from this is all the same thing. Cassava in the English speaking Caribbean, Yuca in the Spanish speaking Caribbean and most of Latin America, Manioc in Brazil. Not to mention it is also widely eaten in Africa and Asia, which all have their own names for it in their respective languages.

Cassava is a root vegetable and is one of the most versatile root vegetables. Most people from NY who know Yuca are used to it simply being boiled or sauteed and eaten as a side dish in Dominican (Dominican Republic) or Puerto Rican restaurants. If you go to other parts of the world, cassava is eaten in many different ways, including desserts. One of my favorite desserts comes from the native population of Dominica and they mix grated cassava with coconut, sugar and other flavorings. This mix is wrapped in banana leaves and steamed (almost like the Puerto Rican pasteles) and it is absolutely delicious - Kids love this treat.

I have always been exposed to cassava and absolutely love it. It is also more nutritious than potato - rich in fiber and gluten free for those with allergies. I found a wonderful new snack food - Cassava Chips - these chips are wonderful - very light but because they are rich in fiber, very filling and so you eat less of them. The brand name is Arico. They also have a flavor called Ginger on Fire, which I haven't tried yet but I have heard good reviews - spicy without being overbearing. This is a great snack to give your kids and yourself, as an alternative to potato chips - a lot less fat and calories - a lot more nutrition and taste!! - So far, the only place I know of that sells them is Whole Foods and if you happen to belong to the Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn, NY

Here is also a man on my last trip to Dominica making some Cassava Bread - another treat I miss here in America!!

Please try some Cassava Chips and let me know what you think of them!!



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Jungle Jim's in Ohio - a Food Lover's Paradise

Well, it has been a few weeks since my last entry but I came back from Cincinnati quite ill. I am much better now and ready to tell you about Jungle Jim. Jungle Jim’s has got to be the largest international market in the country. - An adventureland for Foodies!!
Every country is represented in the world – from South Africa to Brazil to Turkey to Ireland to the Phillipines. Many European countries have their own little storefront’s in the country’s architecture – Ireland, Holland, France, Spain and Scandinavia – just to name a few. Very quaint!!
But every country has their own section – from the spicy salsa’s of Mexico to the strong coffees of Greece and Turkey. If you would like to have a native read your future in the coffee grains, you can purchase the coffee here or if you would like to see what the troops might be eating, you can try some Iraqi Date Syrup. My South African friends were always telling me about Tim Tam’s – now I can try them myself!!
White Coconuts, Red Tamarillos, Red Bananas and fresh Banana Blossoms are just a few of the products you can purchase in the expansive produce section. Usually I have to settle for the canned version in brine, when I am using banana blossoms in Thai or Malaysian cuisine. Once in a very rare while I am able to find one or two fresh ones in Chinatown, but here there was a whole section of them. I purchased a red tamarillo in order to try something totally unique. I did not even know how to eat it. After attempting to bite through the skin, I realized it was like a mango and the skin was not to be eaten and the inside had little black seeds like dragonfruit and it tasted like this – a cross between and mango and a dragonfruit.
There are lots of large exhibits also for your viewing and listening pleasure – the Campbell Soup Can on a swing welcomes you, The Cereal Bowl Band (characters from different cereals) plays music for you and there is a huge fire truck above the Hot Sauce isle – the largest Hot Sauce section I have ever seen. There are even some bottles inside a glass case titled Adult Oriented Sauces. These you must sign a waiver in order to purchase.
An expansive olive bar, butter from Ireland, beer from Poland, cheese from Norway, tea from Turkey, Zulu Spice Rub from South Africa, Valencia Orange Olive Oil, Sweet Potato Gnocchi and the list goes on – No matter what country you are from, you can find the foods from home here. My suggestion – if at all possible, DRIVE!! because you are going to want to take home so many rare goodies and since you can only carry a few ounces of bottled products or pay to check your luggage, you will be limited in what you can purchase.
I am sure I only mentioned half of what I experienced at Jungle Jim;s, so if you have the opportunity to visit Fairfield, Ohio – make it your business to visit Jungle Jim’s!!!

Oh, how I wish there was one in New York!!!

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