Finding the Best Veggies

How to get the best vegetables to your table

Seems like this should be a no-brainer, right? Just go to your supermarket and hit up the produce aisle – no problem. The truth, however, is that vegetable purchasing can actually be a bit more confusing than that. Do you buy standard produce or organic? Is organic more fresh? What about farmers’ markets, CSA and local growers? We’re answering all these questions and more to help you get the best vegetables possible on your plate.

What’s the deal with organic produce?
Organic food is officially defined as food, “that’s been grown and processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives or irradiation.” Organic food growers undergo rigorous inspections of their practices to ensure that everything from the soil to any plant food used are natural. Cloning and genetic engineering are also strictly prohibited.⁹

It’s because of these strict guidelines and the cost involved with growing food organically that organic produce is typically more expensive that regular produce – sometimes up to double on the per pound cost. It’s for this reason that many families on a budget are better served just getting more fresh vegetables on the shopping trip than just a few organics for the same amount of money.

The key to understanding here is that organic produce is not “fresher” than the regular produce sitting next to it on the shelf. It’s a matter of how it’s grown, not when. In this light, organic is more about a personal choice of what you want touching the food you put in your body, instead of a question of how fresh or good the produce is. In many cases, things prevented by organic growing practices can actually be considered good, such as irradiation, which is used to kill bacteria in the produce. As mentioned above, organic farmers have to go through a more rigorous process to give the same result naturally.

How do I get fresher produce?
Depending on where you are in the country, the answer can vary. Almost anywhere you live however – even in more urban areas – you can find fresher produce alternatives to what you get in your supermarket. What you need to look for are farmers’ markets, local growers associations or CSA organizations in your local area.

Most people are familiar with farmers’ markets – where local farmers (usually family farms in the area) sell fresh produce and more at small stands in a public area. Some areas have farmer’s markets that last year-round, while others are only seasonal. Check with your local chamber of commerce or local community center, or you can search online as there are a number of websites that provide full lists of the markets held around the country.

In addition to farmers’ markets, many areas have local growers associations and/or community supported agriculture (CSA) programs. Both of these are similar in the service they provide – local farmers selling produce locally.

With local growers, the idea is akin to what happens at the market, you just don’t have a central buying location. You buy your produce directly from the farm, directly from the farmer. This means it’s not only fresher, but you have the added little boost that you’re helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint (local buying means no cross-country shipping) – and supporting local farmers!

CSA programs are along the same lines, but are a little more involved. In a community supported agriculture program, you buy “shares” of the farmer’s crop. These “shares” are then paid each week during harvest – typically in the form of an actual box of produce. You get fresh vegetables each week, while giving the farm a pre-harvest investment to contribute to the success of that year’s crop.

The nice thing about all of these fresh produce options is that you help your local growers, which is becoming increasingly imperative for the continued survival and success of their farms. It also reduces your carbon footprint, at the same time that you’re putting fresher produce on your family’s dinner plate. No matter how you purchase your vegetables, though, the important thing for your healthier diet is that you incorporate them.

¹⁰Ibid
¹¹http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Tags: Finding the Best Veggies

Vegetable & Rice Bake

A flavorful way to add some healthy vegetables to your diet

• 6 ounces mushrooms chopped
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
• ½ tsp. salt
• ⅛ tsp. pepper
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 small eggplant, peeled and thickly sliced
• 1 medium zucchini, thickly sliced
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 can (16 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp. jarred pesto sauce

Please note: For this recipe, if you have a George Foreman® Grill with a bake plate, such as a Kitchen Bistro™ Grill or the Power Grill™ Grill & Griddle featured last month, you can use the bake plate to do the baking portion of the dish. If you have a 360 Grill™, you can try doubling the recipe – although the measurements may not be exact, so you may need to adjust as needed. Otherwise, you can simply use a baking dish in your oven.

Instructions for Cooking
In a skillet, brown mushrooms in 2 tbsp. olive oil on medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper; reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened. Stir in cooked rice.

Press into the bottom and up the sides of your baking dish (either the bake plate of your grill or your baking vessel if you will be using an oven).

Meanwhile, preheat your grill (for grills with variable temperature, you want either Mid-MAX or 375F). Brush eggplant and zucchini with remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill vegetables till crisp tender – about 3 minutes for grills with variable temperature or less for grills without this feature. Turn off the grill and allow it to cool.

Remove from grill and cut into cubes. In bowl, combine with tomatoes, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese and pesto. Spoon into center of rice mixture. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup Parmesan cheese over vegetable mixture.

If using a bake plate on your George Foreman® Grill, place the plate onto bottom of grill. Close the lid. If using a conventional oven, simply place the baking vessel in your oven.

Set the baking time for 20 minutes and the temperature for 375ºF (Mid-MAX). Bake until hot and cheese is melted.

Using pot holders, remove baking vessel and place on heat-resistant surface. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 Recipes No Comments

The George Foreman® Veggie Guide

An ongoing guide to the best grilled veggies & the benefits they provide

The world of veggies is wide and varied, but this provides a list of the best vegetables you can cook on your George Foreman® Grill. We’ve also included some of the nutritional benefits of each, in case someone in your family needs convincing to eat their veggies. In addition to the nutrients provided, all fresh vegetables are fat-free, sodium-free and low in cholesterol.

Asparagus

A mainstay side dish of the high-end steakhouse, asparagus ranks as one of the most popular vegetables to put on the grill. They can be eaten plain or with sauce – the most popular being hollandaise or simply melted cheese. If you want to marinade prior to grilling, balsamic vinegar, garlic, lemon and dill are some of the most common flavorings to add. Asparagus comes in both green and white varieties.

According to fruitandveggiesmorematters.com, asparagus is a good source of Vitamins A and C, as well as high in folate – which is important in the body’s production of red blood cells.

Bell Peppers

Traditionally, peppers on the grill are a staple of kabob cooking of all varieties. Bell peppers come in a variety of colors, each with its own distinct flavor. Red peppers are sweet, while green peppers are slightly bitter, with orange and yellow both somewhere in between.² All varieties can be grilled and then used in Panini, baked dishes and salads.

Bell peppers are high in Vitamin C.*

Celery

Less common in the world of grilling, celery is often cornered in the world of stuffing and casseroles. However, grilled celery has a great flavor that can be eaten all by itself, dipped in your favorite dressing or even topped with a cheese or spread.

Celery is high in Vitamins A and C.*

Eggplant

As the most common vegetable to be substituted into a meal in place of meat, most people are familiar with grilled eggplant. Of all the vegetables, it’s probably the easiest to substitute into a meal

Fennel

Raw fennel has a licorice flavor that becomes more mild the longer you cook it. Fennel can be cooked dry to allow the flavor to come through prominently or can be marinated with flavorings like vinegar, honey or garlic.

Fennel contains a number of phytonutrients (plant chemicals commonly used in the production of a variety of commercial drugs) as well as being a good source of Vitamin C, folate and fiber.³

Mushrooms

With a wide selection of edible mushrooms available, you can enjoy a delicious range of different tastes and flavors from the grill as well. The most popular grilled mushroom is the portabella – a robust flavored mushroom that’s large enough to eat as a main course, but is often served as a side dish at high-end steakhouses. An alternative good grill mushroom is the Asian Shitake.⁴

Mushrooms of all varieties are high in riboflavin, as well as being good sources of niacin (vitamin B3), copper and pantothenate (a good nutrient in promoting a healthy pregnancy).*

Onions

As vegetables go, onions are another of the most common vegetable staples food in grilling. Bulb onions come in 3 varieties, which each have their own distinctive flavor – yellow are full-flavored, white are sweeter and red have a bit of a bite (typically grilled for sandwiches); you can also grill green onions (also called scallions) to add more flavor before using in other dishes.⁵

Bulb onions of all varieties are a good source of vitamin C, as well as providing dietary fiber. Green onions make an outstanding low-calorie flavor addition to food.*

Peas

There are numerous kinds of peas, but the two most commonly used in grilling on snow peas and sugar snap peas. In both cases, the peas are eaten in the pod, which is why they work well in grilling. Simply set the peas, pod-on, on your grill; they can be eaten by themselves or incorporated into a dish.

All peas are good sources of vitamins C and dietary fiber.* Snow peas are also high in iron.⁶

Potatoes

Like bulb onions, potatoes are a more common vegetable to see associated with grilling. Russet, white, yellow, red and even purple potatoes can be used on the grill and each has its own unique flavor. They can be grilled and served as a side dish unto themselves or used in other dishes like casseroles, salads, sandwiches and a variety of baked dishes.

Potatoes are high in vitamin C and potassium.*

Pumpkin

Although technically a fruit, since it grows from a flower, most people put pumpkins into the vegetable family so we didn’t want to leave them off. Due to a combination of growing season length and popular use in cooking, fall harvest is really the only time of the year they’re available in the U.S.⁷ Grilled pumpkin has a very unique flavor, so if you’re a fan of pumpkin and pumpkin flavors around Thanksgiving, we highly recommend giving it a try.

Fresh pumpkin is a great source of vitamins A and C.*

Squash

Acorn squash and yellow squash are the best of all the varieties to throw on the grill. Like eggplant, they can take well to marinades and brushes and are often used as stand alone item on the plate or tossed with a variety of other grilled vegetables.

Both of these varieties of squash are high in vitamin C.*

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are available year-round; however, like pumpkin, they are much easier to find around the holidays because of their popular use in holiday dishes. Although the word “yam” is often used interchangeably, a yam is actually a particular variety of sweet potato grown in Louisiana. Also like pumpkin, if you like the taste of sweet potatoes at the holidays, there’s a good chance you’ll also like them on the grill.

Sweet potatoes are excellent sources or vitamins A and C, as well as potassium.*

Tomatoes

As the 4th most popular vegetable in the U.S., people use tomatoes in almost every cooking style – and the grill is no different. A standard both as a stand alone side dish and in the world of kabob cooking. In addition, adding grilled tomatoes provide a unique flavor in any dish.

Tomatoes provide vitamins A and C, as well as potassium.*

Zucchini

Although technically a type of summer squash, along with the acorn and yellow varieties mentioned above, zucchini is often given its own category. It works well by itself off the grill or with other types of squash in a grilled mixed vegetable dish; it can also be incorporated into dishes.

Zucchini is high in vitamin C.*

Want more great grilled veggie options? Look for the George Foreman® Healthy Cooking Blog – coming soon – where we’ll be offering even more great vegetable ideas and inspiration for your George Foreman® Grill!

Source: www.fruitandveggiesmorematters.org accessed October, 2009
² http://www.fruitandveggieguru.com/Peppers%20-%20Bell.html?pccid=48&tabid=70&kw=Peppers%20-%20Bell
³ http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=23
⁴ http://www.fruitandveggieguru.com/Mushrooms.html?pccid=53&tabid=70&kw=Mushrooms
⁵ http://www.fruitandveggieguru.com/Onions.html?pccid=51&tabid=70&kw=Onions
⁶ http://www.fruitandveggieguru.com/Peas.html?pccid=49&tabid=70&kw=Peas
⁷ http://www.fruitandveggieguru.com/Pumpkins.html?pccid=39&tabid=70&kw=Pumpkins

Fall Harvest

Healthy fall harvest cooking with George Foreman®

In the world of grilling, many people think the only place for vegetables is topping their burger. Popular opinion tries to tell us meat is the king of all things grilled. With some of our own favorite grilled dishes mainly veggie-based, we at George Foreman® would beg to differ. So, in the spirit of the fall harvest, we bring you a salute to all things vegetable for your grill.

When it comes to grilled vegetables, there’s a world of possibilities to make your mouth water. From the delicious taste of fresh vegetables straight off the grill, to delectable dishes where grilled veggies are a key ingredient, there’s a variety of ways you can use your grill to incorporate more of those daily servings you’re probably lacking.

Why vegetables? Well, besides providing a tasty break from your everyday meat, fish and poultry, fresh vegetables are some of the best sources of the vitamins, nutrients and minerals you need in your daily diet (read more in the Veggie Bible article in this issue). You get more of what your body needs in a natural way, which makes you feel better and gives you more energy to tackle an active, busy lifestyle.

Hot Off the Grill

From fresh asparagus to portabella mushrooms, some vegetables taste phenomenal straight off the grill. If you’re in the mood for a different taste and texture to your standard daily menu, try doing grilled eggplant for dinner one night on a bed of wild or jasmine rice – extremely healthy and intensely flavorful. For a great meal addition to any protein, you can also try thickly slicing up some tomatoes and grilling them up for a tasty side dish.

Marinade a Masterpiece

Vegetables work much like their protein counterparts in the grilling world – you can grill dry to bring out the pure flavor of the vegetable or use marinades to compliment it. Various kinds of vinegar, honey, soy, sesame and garlic are just some of the wide range of marinade components you can add to vegetables to enhance their flavor. When using marinades on vegetables, you only need to allow the marinade to work for about 1 – 3 hours on average.

Grilled Veggie Café

If you’re in the mood for something light, try grilling up your favorite vegetables and then adding them to a sandwich or salad. An assortment of grilled vegetables work great in a refreshing pasta salad or you can make a main course salad mixing fresh greens and hot grilled vegetables.

You can also use grilled veggies in sandwiches, either combined with sliced meat or all by themselves with a fresh slice of cheese. If you truly want to make the sandwich something special in your menu, you can even throw it back on the grill for a quick and easy vegetable Panini.

Bring Out the Bake Pan

From grilled vegetable bakes to ratatouille, casseroles and more, grilled vegetables provide baked dishes with a unique flavor and good texture. If you have a George Foreman® Grill model that includes a griddle or bake plate, such as the 360 Grill™ or Kitchen Bistro™ Grill, you can even skip your oven and make the baked dishes, themselves on the grill. Simply grill your vegetables first, let the plates cool down, then switch to the bake plate and finish the dish.

^{Raichlen, Steven. Barbeque bible. Page 57.}

Croque Monsieur a la George Foreman

A Hot French Sandwich for those Hot Summer Days

The Croque Monsieur is a traditional French hot sandwich – the more sophisticated cousin to the American Hot Ham & Cheese. The actual sophisticated part of the sandwich comes in how the bread is dipped & coated in an egg mixture prior to grilling – much like French toast.

Although more elaborate versions use a special Béchamel cream sauce, a quick and easy version can be made on your George Foreman® Grill using honey mustard as the main condiment – this also helps to make the sandwich healthier, since Béchamel is a cream sauce that can be very fattening. For our George Foreman® version, we also used turkey-ham, instead of por and low-fat cheese to make it healthier as well.

• ¼ cup Egg Beaters
• ¼ cup milk
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 4 slices white bread
• 1 tbsp. honey mustard
• 4 oz. sliced turkey-ham
• 4 oz. sliced low-fat Swiss cheese
• 4 oz. sliced turkey

In glass pie plate or shallow dish, combine egg beaters, milk and salt; blend well.

Place 2 slices of bread on a cutting board; spread honey mustard on the bread. Top each slice of bread with your turkey-ham, cheese and turkey slices. Cover with the remaining slices of bread.

Dip sandwiches into your egg mixture and turn to coat both sides.

Place on your preheated grill and close the cover. Grill 3 minutes or until the sandwich is golden and the cheese is melted.

Makes 2 sandwiches.

Tags: Croque Monsieur a la George Foreman®

Great Grills for Great Soldiers

George Foreman® gets an opportunity to help our troops

At George Foreman®, we’ve always loved that our products help people eat and live better. Never, though, have we been so proud of being able to do that than this year when we got the chance to help some of our service members in Iraq. Making sure people eat better is what we do every day, but it’s truly never felt quite so uniquely rewarding as it did in this case.

For critical care nurse LTJG Kristen Andersen’s Shock Trauma Platoon, the turnover with the outgoing group included more than just the usual rundown on medical equipment, supplies, and sharing of lessons learned. In addition to the passing of information, it also marked the transfer of an important and vital piece of equipment: the precious George Foreman® Grill.

“Battle tested” over the previous seven months, the grill was used by the medical group’s sailors and marines to grill the daily cold cut lunch sandwiches served in the small base’s chow hall. The improvement in taste as a result of grilling the sandwiches was so notable, that Andersen shared it with her family back in the US. Finding it an interesting story, her father decided to share it with us.

Upon receiving this story, we knew exactly what we wanted to do – soon, a collection of G5 Grills was on their way to her base. Upon hearing the news, Andersen was very excited at the prospect of sharing the luxury enjoyed by her group with the rest of her small base.

As soon as the grills arrived, Andersen distributed them to the various hard working groups on base as well as the chowhall. As a result, everyone on their base – marines, sailors, soldiers and civilian contractors – is now enjoying the better tasting grilled sandwiches. We couldn’t be more proud.

A copy of this newsletter is being sent to their base, so we would like to wish all of you at the base a safe tour and a quick return. Thank you for everything you’ve done and letting us do what we can for you. It’s truly an honor.

Tags: Great Grills for Great Soldiers

Pre-Seasoning to Perfection

Using marinades & rubs with your George Foreman® Grill

Trying to make your summer BBQ or dinner meat cuts taste a little more distinctive? Why not try using a pre-seasoning rub or marinade to make your meats truly special? These simple flavor-adders will let you spice up your next meal without a hassle.

We’ll start with the basics – what exactly defines a marinade and rub, and how are they used in pre-seasoning meat before it’s cooked. Simply put, marinades and rubs: are part of a longer catalogue of pre-seasoning techniques – “they’re the essential seasonings that give grilled fare its character, personality, and very soul.”

Marinades

These are defined as liquid seasonings – a mixture of herbs, spices and aromatic veggies like onions and garlic – combined with flavorful liquids like wine, olive oil, citrus juices or vinegar. Marinades work by soaking the meat so it can absorb the flavors of the liquid. You typically soak a meat either for a few hours or overnight, depending on which ingredients you’re using and on the strength of flavor you want to achieve – the longer the marinade time, the more time the meat has to soak up these flavors.

In addition to providing flavor, marinades can help your cooking in other ways, too. Acidic liquids like wine, vinegar and citrus juices help tenderize meat by breaking down muscle fibers. Oil and other liquids in the marinades also help keep meat moist during cooking, for juicier results on your finished plate. This is why marinades are so commonly used with chicken breasts and other poultry, which can have a tendency to be too dry after they’re cooked.

To use a marinade and cook on your George Foreman® Grill, simply prepare the marinade in a dish or pan, add your meat, cover and place in your refrigerator, then allow it to soak for either a few hours or overnight for a big, bold flavor. Once your meat is ready, take it out of the marinade, place it on your preheated grill and cook for the standard time indicated in your Use & Care manual. It’s that easy.

Rubs

A rub is defined as a mix of spices, herbs and seasonings – often used with sugar – to give meats a strong base flavor. Not to be confused with seasonings – which are applied just prior to or during cooking – rubs are added to meats at least several hours prior to cooking like a marinade. This allows the flavors of the seasonings to “bleed” into the meat, much like what you see with marinades.

Rubs fall into two categories – wet and dry. As the name suggests, a dry rub has all dry ingredients, so you end up sprinkling it over the meat like a powder and physically pressing or rubbing it in. A wet rub is one that features a small amount of liquid – usually water, oil or yogurt – that’s used to mix the dry seasonings into a kind of paste.

Since rubs are made of mostly seasonings, they are often characterized by creating a crust on the outside of the meat. This is true of both wet and dry rubs. While the seasonings will encrust the outside of the meat, the amount of flavor that’s brought into the meat itself will depend on the amount of time the meat was allowed to rest (sit) with the rub.

To use wet and dry rubs with your George Foreman® Grill, simply prepare your rub and work into your meat in a dish or pan; cover and place in the refrigerator to give the seasonings time to bleed into the meat. Then, place meat on your preheated George Foreman® Grill and cook to the desired doneness as indicated in your Use & Care manual.

Marinades and rubs are a phenomenal way to add flavor and spice to your next grilled meal. They’re fast and easy, usually requiring little prep work, and they cook well on your George Foreman® Grill because, unlike sauces and bastes, the flavors are already soaked into meat so optimal cooking won’t be affected by the sloped surface. This way, you can knock out the fat and still have juicy, flavorful food on your plate.>/p>

Tags: Pre-Seasoning to Perfection