Nectarine & Aronia Berry Tart

Original posting is over on The Unicorn's Delight, be sure the site for even more delicious healthy recipes!

"There are tons of unlikely duos out there when it comes to food. Such as cheese & jelly, chocolate & salt, broccoli & Cheetos, Mango & chili, goat milk & caramel, sriracha & peanut butter. A personal favorite of mine is peanut butter and pickle sandwiches-it’s an acquired taste, I’ll admit, but so good! Well, I seem to have stumbled upon another unlikely duo; Nectarines and Aronia berries! They are delicious together.

Aronia berries are being harvested all over the united states right now. If your unfamiliar with this super fruit, it’s not surprising. While they are king of the super berries, they also pack quite a punch with an earthy, astringent flavor that typically drys out the mouth, think like a dry wine. They are also known as chokeberries, native to mid-west America, for years they have been seen as a weed, and removed from farm lands. However now, with the discovery of their nutritional value, farmers are planting them like crazy. If you live outside of the mid-west you might find them in your yard, because they have been commonly used in landscaping.

Some of the health benefits Aronia berries can offer are:

• Urinary Track Health
• Improve Blood Circulation & Strengthen Blood Vessels
• Balance of Blood Pressure Levels
• Prevention and help in treatment of diabetes
• Gastro Protective Effect
• Anti-Carcinogenic Effect
• Anti-Inflammatory Properties, Suppress Viruses
• Eyes Protection
• Weight Control

Sunset Valley Organics is doing something unique with their plantings of aronia berries. They are applying what they call biological farming practices, which basically means they are putting minerals back into their soil, remineralizing it, which they have seen healthier plants, more nutritional fruit, the plants are able to defend themselves from insects and disease, and most recently they are finding their aronia berry plantings have less of that earthy, astringent flavor, even though the tannins in the skin that cause the astringent flavor are still there.

How can that be? Well it’s from the minerals doing their job, and interacting in such a way that the plant is producing fruit that has a higher sugar content, or Brix. (Brix is the standard unit of measure for sugar content.)  That natural sugar is over riding the tannins and making them have a mild flavor. This year Sunset Valley Organics is seeing their aronia berries having an average of 26 brix, compared to last year they had 22, and the average, conventional aronia growers hit somewhere between 15-19.

The first time I ever tried an aronia berry I had to spit it out. It was so gross tasting to me, and it was around 19 Brix, the tannins were over powering, and it felt like I was eating literal dirt. Not a good experience. But when I tried last years crop from Sunset Valley Organics, I could actually eat them. It was so surprising! I started using them in baking and smoothies. My favorite recipe I’ve found is Oatmeal Aronia berry cookies, so good, and can be a healthy snack! 

So now with berries that are around 26 brix I’ve started incorporating them into other forms of baking, like today’s recipe! Because Aronia berries aren’t common at all, it’s important to experiment and play with them.

SO LET’S GET TO THE GOOD STUFF, THE RECIPE!

What You’ll Need:

• 5-6 medium sized nectarines, sliced
• Pie Crust- You can use store bought or my recipe (below) for a healthier version.
• 1 Cup fresh/frozen Sunset Valley Organic’s Aronia Berries
• 1/4 cup Thick apricot jam
• 3/4 cup water

Pie Crust Ingredients:

Coconut Pie Crust- Makes 1 full pie crust (top & bottom)

• 1 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2/3 cup (160 g) coconut oil, scoopable (not liquid)*
• 3-6 Tbsp (45-90 ml) ice cold water

What You’ll Do:

Pie Crust:

1. Add flour and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Next add coconut oil in spoonfuls (see photo) and use a pastry cutter (or fork) to cut the two together, until it resembles wet sand – about 30-45 seconds.
3. Add ice cold water 1 Tbsp at a time and use a wooden spoon to gently mix. Add only as much water as needed to help it come together and form a dough – about 3-4 Tbsp.
4. Use your hands to gently knead/form the dough in the bowl and gather any loose scraps. Then transfer directly to a well-floured surface and form into a disc with your hands.
5. Lightly flour the top of the dough, as well as a rolling pin, and gently roll into a circle the shape of your pie pan, about 1/8-inch thick. Add more flour as needed to prevent sticking. It’s fairly forgiving, so if it cracks, just patch it up with slightly wet fingers and reform.
6. If using a standard 9-inch (or similar size) pie crust, simply use the rolling pin to roll up crust and drape it over the pan. Form the edges simply (avoiding too tall of edges or fancy designs as the coconut oil doesn’t hold it as well as butter) and add filling of choice. Roll out remaining crust, drape over the top of pie, and seal (optional).

Note: To save uncooked dough for future use, wrap in plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator for 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Thaw before using.

 Tart filling: 

1. Pre heat oven to 375 F. Start with pie dough rolled out on to a baking sheet. We did a nine inch pie crust.
2. Lay sliced nectarines one inch from the edge of the pie dough in a circular pattern, layering until all pie dough is covered.
3. Fold 1 inch edge of dough on top nectarines, and pinch to stay in place.
4. Evenly distribute the aronia berries on top of the nectarines.
5. In a small pot bring apricot jam and water to a slow boil, until well combined and is a thin mixture.
6. Brush evenly on top of nectarines and aronia berries.
7. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown appears on pie crust.
8. Let cool 5 minutes, serve warm & enjoy!"

Say Hello To The New Superfood!

Starting today we have a limited supply of Certified Organic Frozen Aronia berries for sale in our store. 

A lot of people are just hearing about this awesome superfood, so we thought we would compile some information together and share it with our customers. Over the next few weeks we will be adding more information, and further reading articles, so be sure to come back and check out the updates! 

Health Benefits Of Aronia Berries ( also known as Chokeberries)

Recently aronia berries have been gaining popularity among health conscious people who are looking to add more superfoods to their diets. Aronia berries are packed with nutrients and antioxidants, such as vitamin C and anthocyanin, and offer wonderful health benefits for those who want to improve their health through better nutrition. 

The uses of Aronia berries are numerous, and come in all forms. Fresh & Frozen aronia berries are commonly used to make juice, jame, syrup, and wine. Dried aronia berries can be eaten as a healthy snack, added to muesli, or used in muffins and other baked goodies. In some countries, dried aronia berries are used to make antioxidant-rich herbal tea. 

Like other superfoods, the Aronia berry is high in antioxidants, what sets Aronia berries apart is the ORAC number, which supersedes all most all other berries. Antioxidants protect against many degenerative diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, and to slow down aging in general. They are also a crucial component of anti-wrinkle diseases as they help protect skin from harmful effects of environmental pollutants, tabacco smoke, the sun's ultraviolet radiation, and other factors that cause the body to product free radicals. 

Aronia berries can also help with prevention of cold and flu. With a spoonful of dried aronia berries or juice, aronia berries have traditionally been used by Potawatomi indians to cure colds, and recent research confirms the antiviral properties and high vitamin C content. A group of Bulgarian scientists found Aronia melanocarpa to have in-vitro anti-viral activity against type A influenza virus as well as bacteriostatic activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. 

Other areas Aronia Berries can help in:

1. Urinary Tract Health
2. Improve Blood Circulation & Strengthens Blood Vessels
3. Balance of Blood Pressure Levels
4. Prevention and Help in treatment of diabetes
5. Gastro Protective Effect
6. Anti-Carcinogenic Effect
7. Anti-Inflammatory Properties, Suppress viruses
8. Eyes Protection
9. Weight Control

Check out our Blog for more nutritional information about Aronia Berries!

Fruity Healthy Salsa (Super Kid Friendly!)

Salsa is a great afternoon snack as the summer starts to wind down. 

At the beginning of this month we talked about foods that promote healthy eyes in children. We all know how hard it can be to get kids to eat foods, but who could resist this delicious looking fruity salsa! We are sure your kids will enjoy! 

This salsa is bright and colorful and includes yummy things like bell peppers, tomatoes, and cantaloupe. These are excellent sources of Vitamin A and C, as well as carotenoids which are the compounds that give some fruits + veggies their yellow, orange, and red pigments, these are also thought to help decrease the risk of many eye disease. 

Your kids will love this fruity combination of tomatoes, cantaloupe, apples, and a hint of lime. If you want to tone down the heat, use just one seeded jalapeno or none at all. Packed with lycopene from the tomato, vitamins A and C from the melon, and fiber from the apple, this healthy and delicious snack is a big winner.

Best of all if you decide to make this as a "grown" up snack you can adjust the heat of the salsa by adding more jalapeno. 

Women's Health Awareness

So we have looked at Men's health and health awareness in general now its the Ladies turn. While like Men there are many different health issues we all need to be aware of but the biggest for Women in the US is Heart Disease. 

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, killing nearly 422,000 each year. Although hearth disease is sometimes thought of as a "man's disease," around the same number of women and men die each year of heart disease in the united states. Following a heart attack, approximately 1 in 4 women will die within the first year, compared to 1 in 5 men. Some conditions and lifestyle choices increase a person's chance for heart disease, including diabetes, overweight and obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use. Among women, black women are at highest risk of dying early from heart disease and stroke followed by American Indian/Alaska Native, White, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander women. High blood pressure, and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease. Lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol and not smoking will reduce your chances for heart disease. 

What you can do for your Heart:

• Eat a healthy diet.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Be active. Exercise regularly.
• Be smokefree. 
• Limit alcohol use. 
• Talk to your health care provider and ask questions to better understand your health.
• Know your family history. There may be factors that could increase your risk for heart disease and stroke.
• Manage any medical condition you might have. Learn the ABCS of health. Keep them in mind every day and especially when you talk to your health provider:
• Appropriate aspirin therapy for those who need it
• Blood pressure control
• Cholesterol management
• Smoking cessation

When it comes to a healthy diet we have some ideas that might make things easier and tastier! So this month we are going to focus on delicious dishes that are hearth healthy! 

Check out our delicious recipes that go with this months theme! 
Zucchini Frittata with Tomato-Onion Sauce

Health Awareness Berry Good Smoothie

Berries, It's Kinda What We Do

Berries, it's our power house. Not only do we love berries, but we are committed to growing the most nutrient dense berries we possibly can. We stand vigilant in our fields over seeing the soils, the leafs, the growth, the quality of our plants. All so we can continue to improve our already great berries. (We might be a bit of perfectionists!) 

Each of our berries have their own set of health benefits, but they all work harmoniously as well. If you want to learn more about the berries we currently sell check out our website!

Berry Good Smoothie

Ingredients: 
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup fresh or frozen SVO strawberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen SVO blackberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen SVO blueberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen SVO raspberries
2-4 cups fresh kale, stems removed
1-2 tablespoons flaxseed
1 cup ice

Directions:
1. Blend well in high-powdered blender until you see vortex in the middle
2. Serve, sip, & enjoy! 

Health Awareness Chewy Raspberry Apple Granola Bars

Raspberries are amazing little things....

When our berries start coming on you can always find us sneaking off to the field to graze for a bit. You can tell we are working REALLY hard around here! All joking aside raspberries are a power house of benefits for our bodies. Generally speaking raspberries are a great brain food, support hearth health, can provide cancer prevention, diabetes management, are a detox and help with disease prevention, and they help your eyes. 

For more information about raspberries check out these links:

What are the health benefits of raspberries?
What's New and Beneficial About Raspberries
Benefits of Raspberries

We found this recipe and gave it a our own twist, we hope you all enjoy! 

Chewy Raspberry Apple Granola Bars 

Inspired from Amy's Healthy Baking

Ingredients:

1 tsp coconut oil, melted

½ c unsweetened applesauce, room temperature

1/3 c skim milk

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 ½ c old-fashioned oats

1 c fresh or frozen SVO raspberries, diced

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oil and applesauce until smooth. Mix in the milk, honey and cinnamon until thoroughly combined. Stir in the oats until evenly coated with the applesauce mixture. Gently fold in the raspberries.
3. Press the oat mixture into the prepared pan, and bake at 350°F for 16-19 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before slicing into 10 bars.

Notes: 

*For a vegan version, substitute your favorite non-dairy milk and agave in place of the honey. 

*It’s important for the applesauce to be at room temperature to prevent the melted coconut oil from re-solidifying. 

*For best storage results, tightly wrap each individual bar in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

*For the sweet tooth's out there, we also tried melting our favorite organic chocolate and drizzling on top, think like a chewy bar, and the results were YUM! (1 cup worked best for us!)

Health Awareness Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa

Umm Yum!

Last week we talked about the benefits of eating at least two fish dishes each week for a small step to a healthy living lifestyle. Salmon is a personal favorite around the farm, so we thought this was a great opportunity to find a delicious recipe to try and share with all of you! Some of the benefits specifically, salmon can provide are:

Rich in Omega 3 fatty acids
High quality protein
Essential Amino acids
Vitamin A
Vitamin D
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B
Vitamin E

For additional information around salmon and its benefits please check out these links:

Seven Health Benefits of Salmon to Improve Your Vitality

The Health Benefits of...Salmon

Health Benefits of Salmon

Grilled Salmon 

with Avocado Salsa Inspired from Rookie Cookie

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs salmon, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 tbs olive oil (I used light extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• for the Avocado salsa:
• 1 avocado, sliced
• ½ small red onion, sliced
• Juice from 2 limes
• 1-2 tbs finely chopped cilantro (depending on how big of a cilantro lover you are)
• Salt to taste

Directions: 

1. Mix the salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together, rub the salmon fillets with olive oil and this seasoning mix
2. refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Pre-heat the grill.
4. Combine the avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a bowl and mix well, chill until ready to use.
5. Grill the salmon to desired doneness. (I grilled for about 5 minutes)
6. Top with avocado salsa and enjoy!

Health Awareness Coconut Bliss

Coconuts seem to be one of the many hip things to eat these days, and with good reason Coconut & Coconut Oil are packed full with useful things our bodies can use, such as:

1. Coconut Oil Contains a Unique Combination of Fatty Acids With Powerful Medicinal Properties: coconut oil doesn’t contain your average run-of-the-mill saturated fats like you would find in cheese or steak.No, they contain so-called Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) – which are fatty acids of a medium length.Most of the fatty acids in the diet are long-chain fatty acids, but the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil are metabolized differently.They go straight to the liver from the digestive tract, where they are used as a quick source energy or turned into so-called ketone bodies, which can have therapeutic effects on brain disorders like epilepsy and Alzheimer’s.

2. Populations That Eat a LOT of Coconut Are Among The Healthiest People on The Planet:Coconut is kind of an “exotic” food in the Western world, primarily consumed by health conscious people.However, in some parts of the world, coconut is a dietary staple that people have thrived on for many generations.The best example of such a population is the Tokelauans, which live in the South Pacific.They eat over 60% of their calories from coconuts and are the biggest consumers of saturated fat in the world.These people are in excellent health, with no evidence of heart disease.Another example of a population that eats a lot of coconut and remains in excellent health is the Kitavans.

3. Coconut Oil Can Increase Your Energy Expenditure, Helping You Burn More Fat: Obesity is currently one of the biggest health problems in the world.While some people think obesity is only a matter of calories, others (myself included) believe that the sources of those calories are critical too.It is a fact that different foods affect our bodies and hormones in different ways. In this regard, a calorie is NOT a calorie.The medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) in coconut oil can increase energy expenditure compared to the same amount of calories from longer chain fats.One study found that 15-30 grams of MCTs per day increased 24 hour energy expenditure by 5%, totaling about 120 calories per day.

4. The Fatty Acids in Coconut Oil Are Turned into Ketones, Which Can Reduce Seizures:A so-called ketogenic (very low carb, very high fat) diet is currently being studied to treat various disorders.The best known therapeutic application of this diet is treating drug-resistant epilepsy in children.This diet involves eating very little carbohydrates and large amounts of fat, leading to greatly increased concentrations of ketone bodies in the blood.For some reason, this diet can dramatically reduce the rate of seizures in epileptic children, even those who haven’t had success with multiple different types of drugs.Because the MCTs in coconut oil get shipped to the liver and turned into ketone bodies, they are often used in epileptic patients to induce ketosis while allowing for a bit more carbs in the diet.

5. Coconut Oil Can Improve Blood Cholesterol Levels and May Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease:Coconut oil is loaded with saturated fats, which actually do not harm the blood lipid profile like previously thought.Saturated fats raise HDL (the good) cholesterol and change the LDL cholesterol to a benign subtype. In one study in 40 women, coconut oil reduced Total and LDL cholesterol while increasing HDL compared to soybean oil. There are also rat studies showing that coconut oil reduces triglycerides, total and LDL cholesterol, increases HDL and improves blood coagulation factors and antioxidant status.This improvement in cardiovascular risk factors should theoretically lead to a reduced risk of heart disease over the long term.

This month we are all about health awareness, but that doesn't mean you can't have your cake and eat it too. And to do that we have a delicious Coconut & Lemon Ball Bliss recipe for you all!

Don't these look delicious? With just five ingredients these are a perfect way to add a delicious snack for a healthy living choice! 

Makes approx. 15 balls. Calories per ball: 151.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded coconut + extra 

• ½ cup almonds 

• 2-3 tbsp honey or rice malt syrup (to taste) 

• 2 tbsp coconut oil 

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Directions: 

• Place all ingredients into the food processor and blend for 1 minute.

• Roll into small balls around the size of a 10c piece.

• Roll in extra coconut.

• Place on a lined tray and chill in the fridge until firm.

Health Awareness Month

May is National Health Month. We all try to do our best to be healthy, and be good to our bodies. But some times thats hard, but little changes are what can make the biggest differences. Plus if you make a bunch of small changes eventually they all add up into something much bigger. So this month we are post recipes that are delicious but have that healthy idea behind them. Be sure to check out our blog every Saturday for new recipes!

Here are some small ideas to help kick start your super healthy month!

Wear a pedometer. Wearable technology is becoming all the thing, but you don't have to be fancy. New research suggests that routinely wearing a pedometer encourages people to walk about an extra mile each day, lose weight, and lower their blood pressure. Aim for at least 30 minutes of brisk walking and a total of 10,000 steps per day.

Don't pop too many vitamins. Enthusiasm for vitamin pills is high, but evidence for their benefits is low. Try to get vitamins from foods and consider a multivitamin for insurance. Women should get at least 1,000 mgs of calcium per day (1,200 mgs/day if you're past menopause) from food and/or supplements. Everyone should also get 800 international units of Vitamin D per day -- more than the federal "Recommended Daily Allowance." A great way to get some of those vitamins is from our berries and berry products. Our mission is to give you guys, our customers, the most nutrient dense fruit possible. 

Eat at least two fish meals per week. The evidence is strong that the oils in darker types of fish, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and herring, are beneficial for the heart and brain and may even lower risk of cancer.

Drink water. No matter where you are, water should always be the first thing you reach for when you're thirsty. Water truly is essential.

Sleep 8 hours a night. A number of recent studies have confirmed that you really do need at least 8 hours a night. Among the many benefits: Adequate sleep makes you feel better, decreases risk for cardiovascular disease, boosts memory and reduces the likelihood of being in a car accident.

Don't focus on dieting. Focus on eating. If you're hungry, you're more likely to overeat, especially in the evening. Instead, of sacrificing all day and gorging later, it's better to eat enough during the day to avoid hunger pangs and uncontrolled eating at night. Eat every four hours or so, and make sure to eat a "second lunch" -- think of it as another meal rather than a snack -- in the mid-afternoon to keep your energy up and make you less hungry in the evening.

See our recipes that go with this months theme!

Coconut Bliss
Grilled Salmon With Avocado Salsa
Chewy Raspberry Apple Granola Bars
Berry Good Smoothie