Food, Recipe, and Activity of the Week - May 20, 2007
This week's features include:
Food - Grape tomato
Recipe - Veggie kabob
Activity - Car washing
The grape tomato is a hybrid of a beefsteak and a roma tomato. This combination created a small, thick-skinned, sweet tomato with low water content. It is about the size of a grape and grows in clusters on a vine, similar to grapes. The first grape tomatoes were grown in Southeast Asia. The grape tomato was introduced to the United States in 1997.
The cherry tomato is larger and round when compared to a grape tomato. Cherry tomatoes are easy to grow and produce a large crop of sweet fruit. There are many varieties of cherry tomatoes that can be found around the world.
Consumers currently seem to prefer grape tomatoes over cherry tomatoes because they are easier to eat, have a sweeter flavor, and are easier to transport because of their thicker skin. In addition, grape tomatoes have a year round growing season, so they are not as expensive as other tomatoes in the off season.
Both cherry and grape tomatoes should have a smooth skin and firm texture. To store tomatoes, do not put them in the refrigerator because they will lose their flavor, rather set them on a counter top or shelf not exposed to direct sunlight.
One cup of cherry tomatoes contains 27 calories, 1 gram of protein, 0 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbohydrate, 2 grams of fiber, 353 milligrams of potassium, 63 RAE vitamin A, and 19 milligrams of vitamin C. Note: regardless of variety, one cup of raw tomatoes has similar nutrient content according to the USDA nutrient database.
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 medium zucchini/green squash
- 2 medium yellow squash
- 2 large red bell peppers
- 1/2 cup light Italian salad dressing
- 2 tablespoons Hidden Valley Ranch dry salad dressing mix
- 8 wooden skewers
- 16 cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 cup pizza sauce
Instructions:
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Wash and cut squash into circles - 8 pieces per squash.
- Cut pepper into quarters and remove seeds. Cut each pepper quarter in half.
- Combine Italian dressing and 1 tablespoon dry ranch salad dressing mix in a large bowl. Add vegetables and stir well so vegetables are fully coated with salad dressing mixture.
- On each skewer, place a piece of zucchini, red pepper and yellow squash. Repeat so each skewer has six pieces of vegetables.
- Bake 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool for 5 minutes.
- Warm pizza sauce. Place one cherry tomato at each end of the skewers.
- Sprinkle kabobs with remaining tablespoon of dry ranch salad dressing mix.
- Serve kabobs with pizza dipping sauce.
Nutritional Information (per serving): 67 calories, 2 g total fat (2 g saturated fat), 11 g carbohydrates, 3 g protein, 3 g dietary fiber, 373 mg sodium.
Recipe is courtesy of Produce for Better Health Foundation. All PBH endorsed recipes meet the nutrition standards that maintain fruits and vegetables as healthy foods.
Is the winter dirt covering your car and has the winter mud dried on your car floor? Then it is time to take some action. Instead of taking the car to a carwash, enjoy a sunny day and manually wash your car yourself. If you do not have a hose and an area at home to wash your car, there are several areas that provide vacuum cleaners and hoses that can be used for manual car washing. Check for locations in your area and set a date to get motivated.
Car washing will contribute to your daily physical activity and you can burn anywhere from 250 kcal to 420 kcal per hour depending on your body weight. Therefore, why not bring a bottle of wax and a few towels and wax your entire car. You are not only working out your arms and legs, but are also getting a shiny bright car. It is advised to consult with your physician before participating in new physical activities.