Food, Recipe, and Activity of the Week - January 4, 2009
This week's features include:
Food - Pecans
Recipe - Roasted poblanos stuffed with cranberries, pecans, and quinoa
Activity - Shoveling snow
In the crown of a 130 feet pecan tree one can find hard shelled nuts called pecans. The name pecan means "the nut too hard to crack by hand" and has been consumed by humans for ages. The Native American Indians commonly used pecan nuts for bread, spices, and fermented drinks. Pecan originated from central Texas and northern Mexico, from which it has been spread to other states including Oklahoma, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arizona, Louisiana, and even the northern state Iowa. Pecan trees were a common sight in Texas in the 1500s. However, the quality of its wood increased the demand and almost eliminated the pecan tree's existence. However, in the early 1900s the governor of Texas, James Hogg, was devastated by the pecan tree's rapid decrease. On his deathbed Hogg asked that a pecan tree would be planted on his grave instead of a stone. Its nuts would be given out to the people to plant and make Texas the land of trees. Today, the pecan tree is the state tree of Texas.
Today, pecan production is a multi-million dollar business providing over 342 million pounds in 1999. The varieties of pecans are many including, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Pawnee, Sioux, Desirable, Shawnee, Wichita, and Shoshoni. There are also different nut qualities ranging from "Fancy" to "Damaged". The color of the pecan indicates its quality. The lighter the color the higher the value of the nut. Pecans can be bought all year around, but the best time is to during the fall months when they are ripe and fresh. If in the shell, buy smooth pecans, which are not light for their size. Search for uniform shapes and light colors.
Pecans should be stored in airtight bags or containers, preferably in the refrigerator (6-9 months) or the freezer (2 years). The nuts can be thawed and refrozen without losing quality. If the nut is shriveled or smell very strongly, discard it.
Pecan nuts are covered with a layer of tannins, which causes a bitter taste. The bitter taste can be removed by washing the nuts and soaking them in lukewarm water will enhance their sweetness. Allow the pecans to dry for 15 minutes on a paper towel.
Nutrition facts per serving of pecan nuts (1 serving = 1 oz Shelled - 1/4 cup) energy: 200 kcal, total fat: 20 gm, saturated fat: 2 gm, protein: 3 gm, cholesterol: 0 gm, carbohydrates: 4 gm, fiber: 2 gm, sugar: 1 gm
Pecan nuts are high in protein, and unsaturated fats and have no cholesterol. They are also low in sodium. Pecans are rich in iron, calcium, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, and have been found to be a good source of oleic acid. Although, pecans contain large amounts of fat, the fat is unsaturated. The unsaturated fatty acids may help lowering "bad" cholesterol levels, such as LDL.
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 8 poblano peppers
- 3 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 red onion, minced
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 pound butternut or kabocha squash
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 cup nonfat sour cream
- 1-2 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat boiler. Broil poblanos, turning once, until charred, about 10 minutes. Place them in a paper shopping bag or a bowl covered with plastic wrap to let them steam for about 10 minutes. Remove the charred skin when cool enough to handle. Slit lengthwise on one side, and remove the seeds.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Cut squash in half. Remove seeds. Brush the cut side with the olive oil. Roast it cut side down until tender, about 30 – 40 minutes.
- Scoop the squash out of the skin. Puree in blender with maple syrup, sour cream, and vegetable stock. Add additional stock as necessary to reach a sauce-like consistency.
- In a mixing bowl, combine quinoa, cranberries, pecans, onion, cilantro, and 1/2 cup of the sauce. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Stuff each pepper with a generous half cup of the mixture. Place in a baking dish, seam side down. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Serve with the warm sauce.
Nutrition Information: 234 calories, 7 grams total fat, 41 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram protein, 5 grams fiber, 203 milligrams sodium, 1 milligram cholesterol.
Courtesy of Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Maring’s Farmer’s Market and Recipe Update. For more recipes and access to the recipe’s full nutritional profile, www.recipe.kaiser-permanente.org.
It is January which means unpredictable weather mixed with snowstorms for many of us. Recent snowstorm? Need to clear the driveway or sidewalk? What an opportunity to get free physical activity and manually shovel the snow! Bring out the whole family, or at least the children to shovel the driveway and sidewalk. A 150 lb. person will burn approximately 200 calories while shoveling snow for 30 minutes. CAUTION: Anyone at risk for or with a history of cardiovascular disease should have medical clearance before shoveling snow. For additional tips on shoveling snow visit the North Dakota State University Extension website at http://www.ext.nodak.edu/snow.htm
If the snow blower is used to clear the driveway and sidewalk, grab the shovel and build a snow castle instead. Another option is to make a snow lamp by making a circle of snowballs and then stacking snowballs on top of each other making the hole smaller. Finally at the end, put a candle inside and light at night; it glows beautifully.