Dinner Tonight

Dinner Tonight

Healthy Cooking for a Healthy Texas

Tomato 101

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All tomatoes are fruits of the plant, although they’re typically referred to and used as vegetables when cooking. Here’s a guide to the most popular varieties and their best culinary uses!

With so many different types, it can be difficult to choose the best one for your cooking needs.

For reference, here are the best types of tomatoes for various purposes:

  • Sauces: Roma, heirloom, tomatoes on the vine
  • Canning: Roma, heirloom, tomatoes on the vine, green tomatoes
  • Salads: grape, cherry
  • Skewers: cherry
  • Sandwiches: beefsteak, tomatoes on the vine
  • Fried: green tomatoes
  • Snacks: grape, cherry, heirloom

Although some varieties are better suited for specific purposes, they’re all versatile. For instance, although beefsteak tomatoes are not ideal for salads, they can still easily be used in one with tasty results.

Although there are thousands of varieties of tomato, they can be divided into seven broad categories.

Each type has its own best uses, but they’re all low in calories and rich in nutrients and antioxidants like vitamin C, beta carotene, and lycopene.

Try some of our recipes featuring this delicious summer fruit!

Tomatoes are an excellent food to include in your diet and using this guide can help you choose the right type for your cooking needs.

Source:

Healthline.com

Sorghum

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Sorghum is an ancient whole grain that today is largely produced in the United States. When sorghum grain is cooked, its texture is very similar to rice and quinoa. Due to this familiar resemblance, sorghum has become a popular grain especially since it is a whole grain that is gluten-free. Nutritionally, sorghum is an excellent source of fiber, antioxidants, vitamin B, and energy-boosting protein, iron, and complex carbohydrates.

There are different forms of sorghum and different by-products.  Sorghum is commonly used as feed with livestock, but there is also a food-grade variety for human consumption.  Take a look at the different products we can use.

Whole Grain

Sorghum in its complete form, which includes the bran, endosperm, and germ of the grain kernel. There is also a pearled sorghum that is created when the outer bran and some of the germ is removed from the kernel. Whole grain sorghum and pearled sorghum can be cooked by boiling, steaming, and using a slow cooker or multifunction cooker. This grain is delicious as side dishes, fresh salads, pilafs, and stuffing. The pearled grain is much softer in texture and a better choice for soups.

Flour

Whole grain sorghum flour is light in color and can be used to make bread, baked goods, or desserts, and can also make a sauce or gravy consistency. There is a 1:1 equal parts ratio for sorghum flour to whole wheat flour. Bakers using sorghum flour in gluten-free recipes add a binding agent to their ingredients to help support the mixture.

Syrup

Sweet sorghum is harvested for the stalks rather than grain to produce sorghum syrup. This natural sweetener makes delicious baked goods, desserts, salad dressings, and sauces.

Popped

Popcorn is one of the “all-time” favorite snacks, but whole grain sorghum popped is a healthier snack option. Sorghum has fewer calories and less fat than regular popcorn. Sorghum popped is also much smaller and has a slightly sweeter nutty flavor. Try popping sorghum grain over the stovetop or in a microwave. Popped sorghum is delicious in trail mixes, snacks, desserts, and salad toppings.

Flaked

The sorghum flaking process steams and cooks the grain before rolling grain into a flat flake. This process helps to improve the digestion of the grain. Breakfast cereal, energy bars, granola, and snacks are examples of flaked sorghum.

Bran

Sorghum is finely milled into a sorghum bran and is an excellent source of dietary fiber. Adding bran to baked goods, parfait toppings and salads also adds rich antioxidants.

Adding sorghum to your favorite dishes or experimenting with new recipes may be challenging; However, once you try it, chances are you will add this ancient grain to your favorite’s list. Sometimes sorghum grain my not be available or hard to find in your local grocery stores. Check the Simply Sorghum site for grocers near you.

 

Approximately 120,000 acres of sorghum was harvested in Texas this year.  Listen and learn the different types of varieties and how grain sorghum is used.

Squash – Winter Squash

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Winter squash (including acorn, buttercup, butternut, and Hubbard varieties) is rich in Vitamin A (beta-carotene), dietary fiber, folate (folic acid), and potassium. It is naturally low in calories, fat, and sodium which makes it a perfect canvas for your healthy fall recipes. Here is a bit more about these winter squashes.

Selecting:

Choose a firm, well-shaped squash that is heavy for its size and has hard, tough skin. Do not choose those that have sunken or moldy spots. Avoid squash with cuts or punctures in the skin. Also, slight variations in skin color do not affect flavor. A tender rind indicates immaturity, which is a sign of poor quality in winter squash varieties.

Harvesting:

Since winter squash is harvested mainly during the time that pumpkins are harvested, they need to be planted in the late summer months (August to September). Harvesting would then occur from October to November.

When harvesting winter squash, handle them carefully to avoid cuts and bruises.  These injuries are not only unsightly, but they also provide entrances for various rot-producing organisms.  Cut the fruit off the vine with pruning shears.  Leave a 1-inch stem on each fruit.

Storing:

After curing, store winter squash in a cool, dry, well-ventilated location.  Storage temperatures should be 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit.  Do not store squash near apples, pears, or other ripening fruit.  Ripening fruit releases ethylene gas which shortens the storage life of squash.

When properly cured and stored, the storage lives of acorn, butternut, and hubbard squash are approximately 5 to 8 weeks, 2 to 3 months, and 5 to 6 months, respectively.

Recipes:

Sources:

Iowa State University Extension. Harvesting and Storing Winter Squash. Richard Jauron.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Food Technology & Processing – Winter Squash. Aggie Horticulture.

Stone Fruits

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Peaches, Plums, Apricots, Nectarines, Cherries, and Prunes are all what is known as a stone fruit, due to their hard stone-like pit in the center of the fruit. Read more about caring for and using these fruits below.

If you’re in Texas and are curious about growing a stone fruit tree and stone fruit production, start by reading this article about how stone fruit trees fair in Texas from Aggie Horticulture.

 

Besides being a great treat for eating – these stone fruits are great for slicing to throw in salads or for desserts! But how do you remove that pesky stone? Watch our video below and follow along step by step!

    • On a cutting board with a sharp knife, make a slice into the center of the fruit along the lengthwise side – try to follow the fruit’s natural seam.
    • Rotate the fruit around on the cutting board with the knife still inside – this should split the fruit in half.
    • Using your hand or a spoon grab and remove the stone pit.
    • Slice and use as your recipe calls for!

Apples

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There are over 100 varieties of apples grown commercially in the U.S. but is there 1 apple perfect for snacking, canning and baking? Check out the ultimate fall guide to apples here..

Crunchy & Sweet

Gala, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Red Delicious, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Crispin/Mutsu.

  • These apples are sweet and thinned skinned and one of the best uses is snacking!

Crunchy & Tart

Granny Smith, Goldrush, Paula Red, Northern Spy

  • These are great for snacking if you don’t have a sweet tooth, and are also great in apple pies!

Tender & Sweet

Cortland, Jonamac

  • These apples are good for snacking if you don’t like crisp apples, they are also great for making sauces!

Tender & Tart

McIntosh, Macoun, Jonathan, Mollie’s Delicious

  • These apples are great for apple sauce!

Full article found here.

 

When apples are cut they begin to brown sometimes making them unappealing to eat. Read below for a few tips on how to prevent apples from turning brown once they’ve been cut! Share with us how you stop your apples from turning brown!

  • Brush or dip apples in lemon juice
  • Sprinkle apples in ascorbic acid (vitamin C) crystals
  • Wrap a rubber band around the sliced apple to keep it together

 

Not sure how many apples to purchase when your recipe calls for a certain measurement? Afraid to purchase too many or not enough?

Below is a guide that you can use to show you how much one apple of various sizes can provide for your recipe. Use this to help you decide how many apples you will need to purchase.

 

1 small apple equals:

-3/4 cup sliced or chopped

-3/4 cup finely chopped

-1/2 cup grated

-1/3 cup sauce

 

1 medium apple equals:

-1 1/3 cups sliced or chopped

-1 cup finely chopped

-3/4 cup grated

-1/2 cup sauce

 

1 large apple equals:

-2 cups sliced or chopped

-1 1/4 cups finely chopped

-1 cups grated

-3/4 cup sauce