Press Releases
Salads That Bear Fruit
6/1/2003
Summer salads featuring California peaches, plums and nectarines are colorful, nutritious and tasty
REEDLEY, Calif. - There's nothing that says summer quite like a big, green leafy salad - except maybe one featuring those quintessential summer fruits: California peaches, plums and nectarines.
Of all the seasons of the year, summer is the one that brings out the best in the local produce section. The variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, available in the grocery store and the backyard garden, make summer the ideal time to experiment with fresh produce and to incorporate these healthful foods into daily meals and snacks. Salads featuring fresh peaches, plums and nectarines are a great place to start.
Pat Baird, R.D., a nutrition expert and cookbook author, says creativity is key when it comes to incorporating more fresh produce in the diet.
"Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber - and they're also a good source of phytonutrients, many of which act as antioxidants and provide a variety of health benefits," Baird says. "Salads are a great way to work toward eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, especially during the summer when there is so much seasonal produce to choose from."
Baird is the author of a new brochure called "Hot Tips for Healthful and Colorful Summer Eating." The brochure is based on a Produce for Better Health Foundation health initiative called "5 A Day: The Color Way." That program, launched last fall, emphasizes the importance of eating a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables for optimum health. Produce in each color category - Blue/Purple, Yellow/Orange, Red, White, and Green - provides different nutrients and health benefits to the body.
For example, the Blue/Purple category, which includes plums as well as blueberries, eggplant and blackberries, offers varying amounts of phytonutrients including anthocyanins and phenolics, which may have antioxidant and anti-aging benefits. The Green category, which includes lettuce, cucumbers, and avocadoes, provides various amounts of phytonutrients including lutein and indoles, which researchers are studying because of their potential antioxidant, health-promoting benefits.
Salads, Baird says, offer a great opportunity to include multiple color categories at once. Her recommendations include:
Top green salads with fresh fruit like peaches, plums and nectarines
Add white-fleshed peaches with blue cheese and walnuts to baby greens
Pair beef and nectarines in a salad for a Southwestern flavor
Stir in various fruits and vegetables to pasta salads
Prepare a cole slaw type salad as a variation on a green salad
Serve fruit salads using a variety of fruit such as peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, grapes, oranges, strawberries, etc.
Baird also points out that certain fruits like peaches, plums and nectarines - because of the different varieties available - may be found in multiple color categories.
"If you're a peach and nectarine lover, you can find those fruits in the Yellow/Orange, Red, and White categories, depending on the variety," she says.
Baird's brochure, along with offering tips for incorporating fruits and vegetables into the diet, also includes tips for protecting your skin from the inside out during the summer; information on shedding weight healthfully and sensibly; strategies for keeping your stomach satisfied with high fiber, low calorie foods; and choosing, handling and ripening California peaches, plums and nectarines. The free brochure is available through the California Tree Fruit Agreement's Web site, www.eatcaliforniafruit.com, or by mail at "Hot Tips," CTFA; P.O. Box 968; Reedley, CA 93654-0968.
Following are some recipes made with California peaches, plums and nectarines, available May through October:
Asian Style Fruit Slaw
Makes 6-8 servings (starter or side)
A great side dish at a summer barbecue, this tangy slaw can also be easily adapted to a main course by adding a few boneless chicken breasts, grilled and sliced thin.
Ingredients:
For the dressing:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
For the slaw:
1 medium head Napa cabbage*, sliced thin
1 cup red cabbage, sliced thin
3 California plums or 2 California peaches or nectarines, rinsed and sliced into thin wedges
1/2 cup green onions, sliced diagonally
1/2 cup cashews, roughly chopped or broken
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup candied ginger, slivered fine
* Also known as Chinese cabbage.
Method:
Assemble the dressing by placing all ingredients in a small bowl; whisk to combine. For the slaw, place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss with dressing to combine.
Nutrition information per serving - PROTEIN: 5 grams; FAT: 15 grams; CARBOHYDRATE: 28 grams; FIBER: 5 grams; SODIUM: 406 milligrams; CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams; CALORIES: 249 calories.
Insalata di Frutta Stagionale
Makes 8 servings (starter or side)
Featuring both puréed and sliced California nectarines, this salad is a colorful, delicious dish that can be served as an entrée or as a starter. With the lettuce, onion and summer fruits, it's a great way to take a big step toward 5 a Day.
Ingredients:
Dressing:
1-1/2 cup puréed ripe California nectarines (2-3 fresh nectarines, pitted)
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste
Salad:
1 head of butter lettuce leaves, whole (dark outer leaves discarded)
1 pound arugula, chopped
1 pound sliced, pitted stone fruit (peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, cherries)
1 medium red onion, sliced paper thin
6 ounces Pecorino Pepato cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
Method:
For the dressing, pit nectarines; purée, measure, and pour into a mixing bowl. Whisk in vinegar and then olive oil until emulsified and no oil is separated from the dressing. Taste and add salt, pepper and sugar to taste. (The sugar amount depends on the sweetness of the fruit itself and may not be necessary at all. If the fruit is too acidic, you can balance it by adding extra oil. When tasting salad dressings, taste with a piece of lettuce, as it releases water and dilutes the dressing when you bite.)
To assemble the salads, toss the lettuces, fruit and onions with dressing. Arrange three butter lettuce leaves on each plate in a flower-like cup and then fill the cups with the remaining salad. Garnish with the cheese and almonds. Serve immediately.
Nutrition information per serving - PROTEIN: 9 grams; FAT: 15 grams; CARBOHYDRATE: 19 grams; FIBER: 4 grams; SODIUM: 277 milligrams; CHOLESTEROL: 19 milligrams; CALORIES: 234 calories.
Margarita Fruit Salad
Makes 6-8 servings (starter or side)
The perfect salad to add a little spice to your summer! For a party version, try adding a one-ounce shot of tequila to the dressing. Rim the glasses with a squeeze of lime juice, then twirl the edges on a small plate of salt or sugar.
Ingredients:
Dressing:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 oz. tequila (optional)
Pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
Salad:
1 fresh California Summerwhite® peach
2 fresh California peaches
2 fresh California nectarines
2 fresh California plums
6 California Sugarplums (fresh prunes), optional
1 cup watermelon, balled or cubed
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Lime wedges
Mint sprigs
Method:
For the dressing, combine the lime juice and honey in a small bowl and whisk until the honey dissolves. Add a pinch of kosher salt, to taste. Add chopped mint; set aside while cutting the fruit.
For the salad, rinse fruit and remove the pits; cut into thin wedges or one-inch chunks. Combine all fruit in a large bowl; pour dressing over the fruit, stirring gently to distribute. Sprinkle on cayenne pepper and adjust to taste. Serve with a lime wedge and a mint sprig.
Nutrition information per serving (1/6 of recipe) - PROTEIN: 1 gram; FAT: 0 grams; CARBOHYDRATE: 23 grams; FIBER: 2 grams; SODIUM: 21 milligrams; CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams; CALORIES: 89 calories. (Nutrition information does not include tequila.)