A Date with Dates!

I've been hearing how good dates are for you, so I decided to pick some up!

Dried Dates

I generally like dried fruit so...why not?

Dates come from the Date Palm, a tree usually found in the Middle East and Northern Africa.  They are often used in Mediterranean dishes.  (Why didn't I know that?!)   They are eaten fresh and dried, and are known to promote intestinal health, prevent weight gain and fight abdominal cancer (Date info). That sounds good to me!

I was too afraid to buy a whole bag of dates so, I picked up a few in the bulk food section of Whole Foods.

I thought they tasted like a raisin-ish prune.... I think.  (Miss J. called it a "praisin"....whatever.)

ANYWAY, while I would rather eat some raisins or a prune, I think I will chop the remaining dates and add them to my favorite Organic Instant Oatmeal (which I will share soon)!

Confession: Ok...so, I didn't actually eat this bowl of oatmeal with the dates on top. (sigh)  The chopped dates scared me a bit, so....I told J-bird he could take this picture, with my camera, IF he ate the oatmeal with the dates on top. He went for it. (A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.)


J - Wouldn't try one.  He said he's had them before and doesn't like them.  : /
Miss J - Wouldn't try them either...no surprise here.
J-Bird - "They're ok".  : /  He has always liked prunes though!


Have you ever tried dates?  Do you "do" anything with them?  Please let me know if you decide to try them!!

Blood Orange

I wasn't really fond of the name "Blood" Orange, but that's neither here nor there, we tried it anyway.  :)  As you can see, this one was a bit dried out around the edges, but it was still tasty.  The deep red segments were very pretty.

I had Lasik this week, so I didn't make anything with them.  I'm occasionally a bit accident prone in the kitchen, so Miss J wouldn't let me turn on the gas, or use a knife until my eyes had time to heal a bit.  She's the kitchen police.

Blood Oranges are rich in Vitamin C, Fiber, Folate, and the antioxidant Anthocyanin that comes from the red pigment in the fruit. (Blood Orange Info.) They are found to be higher in vitamin C than their plain orange counterparts, and the Anthocyanin provides even greater health benefits.

They are said to have notes of raspberries or red grapefruit, but those flavors were missed by me!  They tasted like regular oranges to me.  But, they were cute and fun, so we'll get some again!  Next time, I'll probably add the segments to a salad for a splash of color, mix into Sangria, or better yet, make Blood Orange Sorbet!  We like sorbet.

Miss J - "The color kind of creeps me out, but it wasn't bad."

JB - "They're pretty good.  It tastes like a regular orange." 

J - "It tastes kind of like a pomegranate." (Now that I think about it he's right, it did!)

Have you tried Blood Oranges?  Did you taste raspberries, red grapefruit, or pomegranate?

Please comment, share & follow!

Curiosity Didn't Kill Anyone! Lemon Plums?

I happened upon these cuties at my local health food store!

Lemon Plums

I guess this fruit gets its name because the top is pointed like a lemon, but the color is not really yellow at all.

Whatever...it was delicious. 

 This little gem was super juicy and super sweet!  All of them were consistently fantastic, unlike my hit or miss experiences with regular plums.  All in all, it was the best plum I've ever had.  I even shared (reluctantly).  :)

They are not regularly found in the grocery store, but if you happen upon them give them a try!  You won't regret it.


On the other hand, if you can't find them and you want to pretend you had Lemon Plums, try this recipe!  It's great!!

Lemon Plum Sorbet

Here's the verdict!!

Me - It's sooo good!  The plum flavor really intense, and definitely reminded me of the Lemon Plum!

J (Husband) - "Very good! I want some, but a small bowl of it."

Miss J - "If you've never had a Lemon Plum before, this is what you would expect it to taste like!  It's best in small servings, I wouldn't eat a big bowl of it like somebody (JB was the culprit, of course.  :) )."

JB - (He could barely wait for it to chill, was the first one to try it, and had the most servings) - "It's good!  The plum flavor is really strong, in a good way!"  

Have you ever tried a Lemon Plum?

Please comment, share and follow!!! I'd love to hear from you!

Asian Pear

Our first fruit is the Asian Pear!

We eat lots of fruit in our home, so they're aren't too many we haven't tried. 

The Asian Pear, was one fruit we were all excited to sample!

 Asian pears are rich in Fiber and Vitamin C, so they're good for your eyes, your heart and your colon!

I decided to make a garden salad, place Asian Pear slices on top, and drizzle with Balsamic Vinaigrette.

I recommend peeling the pear, the skin was a bit bitter and tough.

The garden salad consisted of: red peppers, romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, julienned carrots, red onion, celery, cucumber and a sprinkle of Herbs de Provence. 

Asian Pear Salad with Herbs de Provence
I must have put the Herbs de Provence on the salad after I took the picture.  Take my word for it.  It's absolutely perfect on a salad!

 The salad was delicious!!!

We all liked the Asian Pear!

Here's what everyone said!

 Denise - I thought it was delicious!  It reminded me of really sweet Jicama.  It had a bit of a crunch to go with a sweet pear and apple flavor.

J said - It's good!  It has the texture of watermelon with a pear flavor,

Miss J - It's really good, like a cross between a pear and an apple!

JB - It was like a jicama, apple, pear, watermelon.  That's all.