Quick Tips: Tangerine Season

It's citrus season - the time of year when the juiciest oranges, lemons, limes, mandarins, pomelos, grapefruits and tangerines can be found. The season generally runs through late fall until spring. In addition to having the tastiest citrus fruit this time of year, it is also the cheapest part of the year to buy.

Just-picked Tangerines

Budget tip: buying seasonally usually means you're getting produce at the time of year that it's least expensive.

If your only exposure to fruits and vegetables is a traditional American supermarket, it's difficult to tell what is and is not in season. The best gauge in that situation is to look at prices regularly. As prices on certain items start to dip, that's a good indication that there's a surplus on the market...or the store just needs to get rid of that item. 

At least once a season, I suggest looking online in your area to get a sense of what is truly in-season. In the late spring, summer and early fall, you can also go to farmer's markets to see for yourself and support your local farmers. Another great seasonal way to eat and support local farms is to buy a farm share or sign up for a CSA (community-supported agriculture). The basic idea behind these are to pay money ahead to a farmer, so that they have a sense of what monetary resources they can depend on for the season, and then the farmer gives you a weekly allotment of fresh-from-the ground fruits and vegetables. To learn more about farm shares and CSA, check out the post My First Foray into CSA. 

Nutrition: 1 large tangerine has about 60 calories, 12 grams of naturally-occurring sugars, 2 grams fiber, 1/2 your daily vitamin C requirement, as well as a small amount of calcium, folate, B vitamins, vitamin A and potassium. 

Radish Enoki Avocado Tangerine Salad - YUM!
Find this gorgeous picture (credit Yunhee Kim) and recipe from the book, Feast, at Serious Eats

Chef tips: These are the easiest to peel citrus fruit! Look for fruit that is slightly heavy for its size with pebbly skin and no deep grooves (i.e. the one in the center of the picture above has deep grooves and if purchasing, you should avoid that one) and no signs of soft spots or mold. Tangerines taste best eaten at room temperature and will last about a week sitting out in a bowl. Refrigerate if you plan to keep them longer, but let them warm to room temperature before eating for the tastiest fruit. 

Tangerines are great for a quick snack or to slice and put in green or fruit salads. Use segments as a garnish. The juice is fantastic in custard desserts, sorbets, cocktails, marinades and quick breads. The zest is also great in quick breads (muffins, scones, pancakes, breads). The peel can be boiled in sugar syrup to candy it. This can be eaten as is or dipped in dark or white chocolate for a decadent treat. Whole tangerine peel is also used in marmalade and in Szechuan cuisine.

*To learn how to zest citrus fruit, check out the end of this post .

Health Research: Tangerines and other citrus fruits contain many anti-oxidants and phytonutrients that have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Studies in the last few years have looked at a flavonoid called nobiletin which has been shown in mice to reduce atherosclerosis (plaque and blockages in blood vessels), fatty liver, prevent weight gain and keep blood sugar in the normal range (reduce insulin resistance) compared to mice who where given the same diet and living conditions but no nobiletin. More research is needed in people, but preliminary studies suggest that this compound could play a role in prevention and treatment of breast cancer and liver cancer as well as treatment of depression. Further studies are being conducted on all of the above as well as in Alzheimer's disease.

Tips for Eating Healthy On the Go

"I don't have time to eat healthy."

"This week is really busy.  I'll have to try to eat better next week."

"Someday when I'm less busy, I'll eat better."

"That (healthy thing) takes too long to cook."

It's time to throw those excuses out the window! Check out the interview in this month's, Harvard Health Letter with Kathy McManus, Director of the Department of Nutrition at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and me about our Tips for Eating Healthy On the Go.

Save time with a Smoothie

Photo credit: thelemonbowl.com

If you feel inspired by the "Try a Smoothie" section, here is one of my favorite smoothie recipes. It's a great meal replacement or workout recovery drink. In addition to the nutrition information shown below, this smoothie contains 5 times the recommended minimum intake of omega-3 fatty acids! This is due largely to the chia seeds, which are one of the richest sources of omega-3s.  Chia seeds have nearly 9 times the omega-3s by weight that salmon does!

Chia Seeds

Photo credit: dineoncampus.com

Michelle's Favorite Smoothie

1 cup unsweetened soymilk
1-1/2 Tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 banana
3 scoops (or 1-1/2 servings) protein powder (I use vanilla-flavored soy protein from Trader Joes or Whole Foods)
1 handful frozen mango or pineapple
1 handful frozen strawberries
1 handful frozen blueberries
1-2 Tablespoons of honey, agave, sugar or Splenda (sweeten to taste)
2 kale leaves (large ribs removed) or 2 large handfuls fresh spinach, optional
Water (about 1/2 cup)

1. Blend soy milk and chia seeds until chia seeds are pulverized and the mixture appears a white with a bunch of black specks.  This only takes a few seconds in a commercial blender, but takes 1-2 minutes in a common household blender.

2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.  Add enough water to blend and make the smoothie the thickness and consistency you want.  Sweeten to taste.  I use 1 Tablespoons sweetener, but many people like it a bit sweeter.

3. Pour and serve.  As long as you're OK eating this with a spoon, you can keep it for up to a day in the refrigerator. The chia seeds soak up a lot of the liquid if left to sit.

Yield: Two 12-16 ounce servings

Smoothie nutrition facts per serving

*If you use Splenda or other non-calorie sweetener, subtract 8g of carbohydrates and 32 calories per serving from the nutrition facts above (i.e. 28g carbs, still 9g fiber, and 269 calories per serving). 

Quick Tip - Instant Brown Rice (that doesn't taste like it!)

Now that brown rice is becoming more mainstream, I hear fewer complaints from people about brown rice tasting different than white rice.  These complaints are often replaced by comments like, "I would eat brown rice, but it takes so long to cook!"  Having been in a time crunch myself for more years than I can count at this point, I came up with a solution that allows me to have great-tasting instant brown rice for most meals.  For other meals, I have a fun project for kids (or the kid-at-heart).

Affectionately called "rice castles" or "rice cubes" - ready to go into the freezer

1) First, choose a night when you'll be in the house for 45 minutes or so whether or not you plan to eat brown rice that night.

2) Rinse several cups of rice (enough for multiple meals) in a mesh strainer or swish in a bowl full of water.  Repeat until water is clear and drain well.

3) For each cup of brown rice you measured out and rinsed, add 1.75 cups water to a pot along with the rice.*  Add a pinch or two of salt (optional).

4) Bring to a boil, stir well, immediately turn to lowest possible heat and cover.  Set a timer for 35-40 minutes.

5) When timer goes off, remove pan from heat but DON'T UNCOVER.  Allow to sit at least 10 minutes before eating.  Rice continues to cook after removing it from heat.  

6) After resting, rice can be eaten.  Allow leftover rice (or all of the rice if not eating that day) to cool to a temperature you're comfortable handling it at.

7) Take a measuring cup the size of your usual serving of rice for 1 person (anywhere from 1/2-1 cup) and pack rice into in, then overturn measuring cup and tap the edge on a sheet pan to get your very own rice "sandcastle" to pop out.  Repeat with remaining rice until you run out.  

8) Place the sheet pan with all of your rice "castles" on it into the freezer and allow to freeze overnight. The following day, overturn sheet pan onto kitchen counter and rice "castles" will come off.  Put them into ziplock bags and store in the freezer for later use.  I can fit about 8 into a gallon ziplock bag.

9) For instant rice on another day, take one rice "castle" or "rice cube," as I'm fond of calling them, out of the ziplock bag.  Put it into a bowl, sprinkle a few drops of tap water over it, cover with a plate and heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.  The rice is ready and tastes freshly cooked.  This is MUCH better than that terrible instant rice you buy at the store either in the pantry or freezer sections. (That stuff tastes truly awful to me!)  

*NOTE: the amount of water listed here is less than it says on the bag/box of rice you purchased because most of us actually don't end up draining the rice very well and a lot of water clings to in.  In my experience making hundreds of batches of rice this way, the amount listed here will be more accurate if you rinse rice before cooking.  Rinsing rice before cooking helps produce cooked rice that doesn't turn into a mushy, sticky, pasty mess.