This week’s Food & Drink section focuses on Healthy and Fit Foods to kick off the New Year! The Leader • Saturday, January 20, 2018 • Page 1B
From their farm, fields to your table By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
Going green, at least as far as seasonal vegetables are concerned, is as easy as a trip to your local farmers market. The Farm Stand on Wakefield and Elenora’s Market on Ella Boulevard in front of Cavatore Italian Restaurant are two local spots to stock up on winter’s bounty. Pam and Gus Nawara are regulars at the Farm Stand. They have a 15 acre farm in Rosenberg and bring in seasonal vegetables each week. Offerings from the Nawara’s last week included many leafy green options such as swiss chard, lettuce, kale, and kohlrabi, which Martha Stewart describes as a “cross between a radish, jicama, broccoli, and collard greens.� Beets, radishes and onions were also on the table. I had to confess to the Nawaras that radishes were not my favorite. That’s when Pam and Gus’ daughter Joyce told me that the flavor in the smaller ones is less strong. She says that they are good roasted and also dices the bulbs for use in stews and chili. Out of the box suggestion: Gus has been using grated radishes as the garnish for his cheese and meat sandwiches. He showed me one and I had to admit, it looked tasty. Cathy Sullivan of Happy Heart Farms in Damon, TX is another Farm Stand regular who touted all the leafy greens, root vegetables and citrus. She had brought the latest harvest from her grapefruit tree. Sullivan also said that arugula was available year round but it is best in the winter. The big buzz at her stand was that Maarten Waasdorp snagged the last of her fennel which is a flowering plant species in the carrot family, and in my opinion, very pretty. Waasdorp told me he planned to roast the bulb and then grate the top to sprinkle on salmon. Sullivan notes that the taste of the flowering part was stronger than the bulb. She said people use fennel as a digestive aid or to ensure good breath. “It’s similar to anise,� she said. Out of the box suggestion: This is also from Waasdorp. Make a pesto with the flowering fennel, some nuts, oil and garlic. At Elenora’s Market, Plant It Forward offered a very eye-catching booth. Plant it Forward helps refugees grow their own urban farm businesses. Each farmer is trained to farm using organic methods and sell their produce through farmers markets, farm stands, restaurants, and farm shares.
Photos by Betsy Denson Above, Cathy Sullivan of Happy Heart Farms says winter is a time for leafy greens and root vegetables, like her carrots pictured. At the top left, Reine Tsipangoyi with Plant It Forward says that the Plant it Forward website is a great resource for recipes.
At the booth last Saturday, Reine Tsipangoyi and her sister Ech were selling vegetables grown by their mother at Braeswood Church on Fondren Road. There was bok choy, carrots, cauliflower, sugar peas, turnips, kale, beets and baby spinach. Reine said that her favorite vegetable on the table was spinach which she sautÊs, but also mentioned that the Plant It Forward website has plenty of recipes. Out of the box suggestion: Roasted beets with feta (see http://plant-it-forward.org/tag/beets/) Joseph Stark with Eureka Farms was also at Elenora’s Market with his fair share of both greens and micro greens. Eureka Acres Urban Farm operates on the spin farming system which means it grows fresh produce within a network of
New Year, New Me
Local gym owner offers healthy advice, recipe By Christina Martinez
christina@theleadernews.com
With the New Year here, healthful foods and healthy choices are abound. Everyone is different in the goals they have when it comes to their health: some are actively making changes to their diet, others are checking in with what their body wants and needs, and some just want to be mindful on what and how much they eat. Local gym owner of The League Elite Training Facility, Terry Williams, knows a thing or two about health. Along with being a gym owner, Williams also has a masters in health and said making the right choices at the grocery store is a great place to start when checking in with your dietary needs. “Stick to the perimeter,� Williams said. “In grocery stores, all of the fresh stuff that’s grown from the earth, or raised on it, is around the outskirts: fruits, vegetables, proteins and dairy. Inside the aisles, however, is where we find boxed foods that are processed, and typically loaded with artificial flavors, preservatives and an abundance of sodium, sugars and fats.� When it comes to preparing meals for the week, Williams recommends giving yourself variety: two types of protein and at least two types of carbs. “This way, you can mix and match a bit to avoid boredom, and add veggie sides to these combos,� Williams said. Making mindful decisions on what you add to your diet is a great place to start, but also listening to your body and giving yourself flexibility. Williams uses the term “leisure meals� in this case, stating that these meals are not per se “Cheat Meals.�
“Leisure meals are a key piece of the plan,� he said. “These are meals that you literally commit to, once during the week and once during the weekend, to break the monotony of rigid rules. If you eat three meals per day and snack twice daily (between major meals), you’re eating in a total of 35 times per week. With this leisure meal frequency, you’re getting two breaks and 33 nutritious meals, a winning ratio. Research shows that when you know these planned breaks are coming, you are far more likely to stick to your nutrition plan at times other than leisure meal time.� Williams knows his research. He just recently put in the research hours for his newly published book, The FlavorFuel Kitchen, which is all about eating fit and still eating fun, Williams explains. His core belief for the book: breaking the barrier that eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring and tasteless. “I believe that we shouldn’t have to choose between flavor and fuel, so I’ve simplified the art of meal prep by laying some basic guidelines to keep ingredients clean, and then got creative in breaking down how we make popular classics in a healthier way,� Williams said. “For example, there are things like pizza, wings, and mac & cheese in the book! But they’re all lean and clean.� You can grab a copy of The FlavorFuel Kitchen on Amazon or stop by the gym at 2219 West 34th Street #B. Going into 2018, Williams’ advice on making healthy eating habits is to make it fun. Stray away from boring and flavorless food – spice up your life, get creative, and try new recipes to invest into your consistency.
front and back yards. In exchange for the use of their land, homeowners who work with Eureka Acres receive a weekly share of the vegetable harvest. Stark told me the vegetables come from Shepherd Forest, Oak Forest, Spring Branch and Independence Heights. Stark said that the micro greens – which are harvested when they are between 8 days to 3 weeks old – have many more nutrients than their elders, and are good tossed into salads, sandwiches and smoothies. He said they also provide an elegant garnish. Out of the box suggestion: Stark’s favorite is the Tokyo turnip which has a milder flavor. He roasts it in the oven with salt and pepper, and then tosses it in a mustard vinaigrette.
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