Recipes to Share: Florida Fresh Salsa and Fun Drinks for Kids (and adults too!)
Note: As I’d like to start sharing more recipes on my blog here at http://www.ceoofthehome.net, I invite readers to share their ideas too if you have made similar recipe and want to add or offer more ideas through comments–happy meal-making!
The summer heat for Floridians makes fresh, cool produce an appealing choice for snacks and meals–especially for our children who can get easily overheated after playing outside during days that easily see air temperatures in the 80s-90s and humidity levels consistently over 70%. Here’s a fun pairing of fresh options for a light lunch, in-between snack or anything else.
Florida Fresh Salsa
4-6 ripe tomatoes (any kind or color you prefer–except green of course, those are generally for frying!)
1 sweet onion (I prefer sweets for milder flavor for children, purple are good too)
1 jalapeno (banana pepper or cubanelle can be substituted for those sensitive to spicy)
1/4 to 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon or lime (or both and adjust amount to taste)
1/2 cup of cut fresh cilantro
Dice tomatoes, onions and pepper in a bowl, drizzle juice on top and mix cilantro in. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips, I personally love either Garden of Eating organic blue corn chips, Late July or Florida Gourmet Chips found at many of our south Florida produce stands. Note to Parents: it is advisable to serve your young children the salsa by placing it on top of each chip arranged on a plate. Tostitos brand has the Scoop chips that are perfect for little ones as well.
Non-alcoholic Tropical Drink
Crushed ice – or any ice
Kennesaw’s lemonade (or fresh lemon juice or other lemonade)
Florida orange juice
Spritzy or sparkling water
citrus wedges (lemon, lime, orange…)
colored sugar (in photo above it’s red)
This is a refreshing drink that can be manifested in so many different ways–mix the above ingredients together as you see fit in whatever fun cups you have and straws are always a hit for little ones. Garnish with wedges and top the drink with colored sugar. I’ve even used a little splash of Pom juice to help the color for visual enjoyment.
Enjoy!
R.V.S.Bean
The What: Food and Money – The Tango Tangle
THE WHAT: FOOD AND MONEY – THE TANGO TANGLE
My heart pinched inside my chest as I listened to the cashier’s announcement of the total price of my Publix grocery purchases. “Absurd amount of money!” is the first reaction internally followed by a justification speech by the concerned mother/caretaker in me that knows it’s better to spend money on good food for my family even if it tightens the household budget in other areas. This scenario repeats itself and the outcome is the same at least for me: I choose quality of food over cheapness and quantity any day. What are the economic and environmental factors that any of us face today when making our food choices on a daily basis?
THE WHO
The perspective on who we’re buying food for obviously affects our choices. Whether you’re single, married, living with roommates, with children, with elderly—all these groupings carry their respective needs, wants and overall themes. Personally I can attest to the interesting blend of tastes I accommodate in my cooking and choosing of groceries as I have a husband, two boys under 4 years old (one an infant) and two octogenarians. When I look around at many of my colleagues with children, it seems a majority of parents today are very sensitive to the question as to whether the produce they purchase is organic or not. It turns out that there are some produce items that are more critical to buy organic like spinach and berries because of how porous the skin is and therefore easily absorbs pesticides. Some websites you may find helpful for resource information: www.organicconsumers.org , www.organic-center.org , www.non-gmoreport.com , www.healthychild.org , www.texasgrassfedbeef.com , www.centerforfoodsafety.org , www.chemicalfreekids.com , www.foodnavigator.com
THE WHY
Organic, non-genetically modified and local are some of the current buzz food words. The term organic always makes me chuckle for a nanosecond as there’s hundreds of years of human evolution coursing through my blood that reminds me all food was once “organic” without the labeling. It’s just that in the last century or so that our civilized societies started to meddle beyond what hybrid practices were in place already in agriculture. It is interesting to note that recently many farmers are returning to using more natural methods in their crop and livestock management—part of it could be the increased consumer demand for organic products and another part may be that it has been found more cost-effective to use better sustainability practices on the environment when cultivating the Earth or animal stocks. Again, my own battle is complicated when it comes to whether I buy organic, conventional or local food products. I prefer organic but it’s not always available or cost-effective. Local produce is desirable because I like supporting the farmers in Florida and it’s fresher with less gas emissions spent on its transport to my kitchen. At the same time, a pint of blueberries from Peru may be farmed with the best ecological-friendly practices and taste better than the pesticide-laden ones from a few counties away. Here are a few more resources that may be helpful: www.farmigo.com , www.localharvest.org , www.slowfoodusa.org , http://foodnews.org/ , www.foodnavigator.com , www.environmentalhealthnews.org , www.biointegrity.org , www.localfoodswheel.com , www.greenling.com
THE WHEN
Sometimes I wish I were ignorant and just went to the store and was able to buy the cheapest of everything to feed my household. The truth is irreversible once attained; I know what is best for my family’s situation and it happens to be a diet that contains the freshest fruit, vegetables, dairy, legumes, meats and then on to the grains, pastas and et cetera. Making the conscious choice to use less canned products and other foods that contain more harmful ingredients in process/preservation means that our grocery bill is higher than it would be if I blindly chose based solely on cheap economics. Not everyone thinks through what they buy when at the grocery store but it’s only a matter of time when many if not most of us will realize that how we eat is like a form of preventative medicine for our bodies. The cost you may incur now can serve to defray future medical costs after years of eating products that can slowly sabotage your body’s ability to fight off infection and other illnesses. Then there’s the question of the effect on our environment by our agricultural practices and that factors into many people’s choices of food economics. Social impact in the form of “fair trade” practices is yet another factor weaving into our ethos as consumers of groceries for ourselves. Some more websites for your personal research: www.fairtradeusa.org , www.greenamerica.org , www.fairtraderesource.org , www.kidsorganics.com , www.rodaleinstitute.org , www.opensecrets.org , www.allergykids.com , www.usda.gov , www.fda.gov
This blog post is woefully inadequate in addressing all the various facets involved in the economic and social challenge we face in our food purchases as the commodity prices continue to rise on a monthly basis. I hope it at least helps in starting a conversation or a journey for information as this is an issue that will continue to grow in importance as we face upcoming agricultural changes and trade practices that can affect both the quality and quantity of our food in America particularly.
RVSB