Fruit it up

 Rochelle Keane, Gleaner Writer

When most of us think of fruits, our first thought is biting into our favourite one - mango, orange or apple. But fruits are so much more than that. The good thing about fruits is that you can sautée, boil, or grill them. They are perfect anytime of day, and almost in any form you want - juice them, bake them, slice them and pop them into your mouth.

Nutritionist and dietician Kerry Weatherly explained, "Fruits start losing their nutritional value once they are reaped. So ideally, you should purchase fruits close to the time that they will be consumed. Local fruits such as pineapples, bananas, apples and avocado are grown locally, and nutrient loss from reaping to consumption will be less in comparison to fruits not grown locally."

It is important that our body receives the vitamins and minerals it needs to function properly.

We can get a lot of the necessary nutrients from local fruits.

Bananas: A great source of potassium and vitamin B6

Pineapples: Provides the body with an excellent source of vitamin C and potassium

Otaheite apples: Bite into a juicy source of vitamin C

Avocado: Supplies the body with potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6.

Most of these nutrients are damaged by heat or if cooked (for example potassium will leak into whatever liquid you cook the food item in). If you are using a moist method for cooking, it is recommended that you use the water (to cook something else) to retain the nutrients that may have leached into the liquid in order to preserve the potassium in the fruit or you can grill the fruit using a dry-cooking method.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is also water soluble and is destroyed by heat. To retain the vitamin C in pineapples, they should be eaten raw.

Fruits rich in vitamin C should not be cooked, so try to keep them out of heat.

Vitamin B6 is also a water soluble vitamin and is helpful in the metabolic process of the body.

Here are a few recipes that you can try and that include some of the discussed fruits above. Do not be afraid to experiment with your fruits because they are not only a good source of vitamins and minerals but also of fibre.

Tomato and Watermelon Salad

Ingredients

5 cups watermelon cut into cubes

3 cups ripe tomatoes cut into cubes

3 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 small purple onion thinly sliced

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup honey

Romaine lettuce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Cracked pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine watermelon and tomatoes in a large bowl; sprinkle with sugar and salt, tossing to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Stir in onion, vinegar, honey and oil. Cover and chill for two hours. Serve chilled with lettuce leaves, if desired. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper to taste.

Hummingbird Cake

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Yield: Serves 12 to 16.

Ingredients

Cake ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2tsp baking soda

2tsp baking powder

1tsp salt

2 cups sugar

1tsp ground cinnamon

1/2tsp nutmeg

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2tsp vanilla extract

One 8oz can crushed pineapple, with juice

2 cups mashed bananas (about 3-4 bananas)

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1lb cream cheese, softened

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2lbs (32 oz) confectionery sugar

1tsp vanilla

1 cup roughly chopped walnuts, for topping (optional, toasted)

The cream cheese frosting recipe can be cut in half if you prefer less frosting. If so, apply sparingly so there is enough to cover the entire cake.

Directions

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease and flour three round cake pans.

2. In a very large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg (optional).

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the canola oil and eggs together until combined. Stir the pineapple, bananas, vanilla and one cup of the chopped pecans into the egg mixture and mix (do not beat).

4. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, fold the moist ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined (do not over-mix).

5. Pour the batter into the three prepared cake pans, taking care to divide evenly. Bake on centre racks of oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.

6. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan on wire racks for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, run a knife around the edges and remove the cakes from the pans. Cool completely on wire racks before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Cream the softened butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer. With the mixer on a slow speed, add the confectionery sugar in small amounts until all is incorporated, then add the vanilla and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Note: Do not add the confectionery sugar while the mixer is set on a high speed, or you will get sugar all over the kitchen.

2. Place one layer, top down, on a large plate or cake stand (this creates a smooth surface on the top of the cake, and results in a more level cake). Spread frosting evenly over the first layer, then repeat with the second and third layers, then frost the sides.

3. Sprinkle the top completely with the remaining cup of chopped walnuts (toasted or untoasted). Alternatively, press the chopped walnuts onto the sides of the cake and leave the top simply frosted. Store in refrigerator, then remove one hour before serving to allow the cake to come to room temperature.

Frozen-Fruit Green-Tea Smoothie

Total time: 5 min

Prep: 5 min

Yield: 2 servings

Level: Easy

Ingredients:

1 cup kale

2 cups frozen strawberries, raspberries, or cherries

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

1 cup cold green tea

2 to 3 tbs honey or to taste

Directions

Put all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

Recipes provided by Amanda McCreath