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The Olive Oil Hunter News #68

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Creamiest Cauliflower Soup Recipe, Spotlight on Cayenne Pepper, Roux—The Classic Thickening Agent, Rethinking Anxiety, and The Latest Fitness Trends

February always finds me going through my repertoire of rich and hearty soups, so warming and so easy to turn into a meal with a salad and crusty bread for dipping in extra virgin olive oil. A less healthy aspect of winter is that we often find ourselves hunkering down indoors, not getting the exercise we need. Good news: The top trends in fitness don’t always require that you leave your home. I’m also sharing advice from noted author and neuroscientist Dr. Wendy Suzuki—her latest science-based book is about conquering anxiety, an emotion almost everyone faces.

The Creamiest Cauliflower Soup

  • Creamiest Cauliflower Soup The Creamiest Cauliflower Soup

    Roasting cauliflower adds great depth of flavor to this velvety soup enhanced with cheddar cheese and a hint of heat from cayenne. 

    Ingredients

    • 1 large head of cauliflower
    • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
    • 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
    • 2 cups milk
    • 4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded
    • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 cup homemade or low-sodium canned chicken broth, more as needed (okay to substitute water)

    Directions

    Step 1

    Preheat your oven to 375°F. Core the cauliflower and break it into the florets. Transfer them to a large baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Roast for 45 to 60 minutes, until tender and slightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside, reserving a few small florets to use as garnish.

    Step 2

    Start the soup by making a roux: Heat a large saucepan and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, sprinkle in the flour and whisk quickly, letting the mixture cook for 5 minutes until bubbling. Slowly whisk in the milk in batches, bringing the mixture to a low boil after each addition. Next, whisk in the shredded cheese and stir until melted and fully incorporated—it should be thick. Add the cayenne and black pepper and remove from the heat.

    Step 3

    In a blender, process the cauliflower, cheese mixture, and chicken broth until smooth (you may need to do this in batches). Transfer back to the saucepan, and slowly reheat before serving. If the soup is too thick, whisk in more broth (or water) as needed. To serve, ladle into bowls and top with the reserved roasted florets.

    Yields 4 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Cayenne Pepper

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Get a kick from cayenne pepper

These bright-red skinny peppers are a snap to grow, even indoors. I like to air dry a batch, grind them up, and put the flaky powder in a pepper shaker to use whenever I want to rev up the spice in a dish. Of course, you can simply buy cayenne pepper powder, though it will be somewhat milder. 

Even though cayenne is mostly used in pinches, it still provides snippets of vitamins A, C, K, and B6, plus many other plant compounds, including antioxidants. According to the Cleveland Clinic, capsaicin, which gives peppers their heat, helps protect against inflammation, helps some people with their digestion rather than giving them the heartburn usually associated with spicy foods, and might enhance the good bacteria needed for a healthy colon. If you’ve ever sneezed when sprinkling it, you know that it can also help clear congestion. 

Cayenne is a wonderful ingredient used in so many cuisines, but don’t limit it to savory foods—rev up your next cup of hot chocolate or coffee with a sprinkle!

Healthy Kitchen Nugget: Roux

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Fast and furious roux

Made with equal amounts of fat and flour, a roux is a classic thickening agent used to easily turn a liquid, such as pan drippings or even milk, into sauces and gravies. It’s the perfect medium in which to melt cheese without scorching it—as long as you keep your whisk moving! French-inspired roux use butter, but I prefer olive oil for most recipes that require a roux—it’s healthier and tastier. For creamy soups and sauces, the roux is cooked just long enough so that the flour is no longer raw. With recipes like gumbo, it will cook until it turns a deep mahogany, which can take up to 20 minutes with constant whisking. And every roux represents a great opportunity to use whole wheat or white whole wheat flour—both are milled in ways that preserve most of the grain’s nutrients. 

For Your Best Health: Rethinking Anxiety

For Your Best Health

Rethinking everyday anxiety

Anxiety can get the better of us, even when everything is going well. It can also affect both physical and emotional health. The latest book from NYU neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki, PhD, Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion (Atria/Simon&Schuster), explains how you can turn the tables on anxiety by facing it, understanding it, and taking action to prevent a perceived threat, rather than allowing it to keep you stuck. 

Anxiety was helpful when our cave-dwelling ancestors had to react to life-and-death situations. Even though we don’t face the same kind of threats they did, our brains still react the same way—whether the threat is real or something we imagine. As Dr. Suzuki points out, these days it’s more the threats we imagine that cause worry and sleepless nights. 

The first step to defuse the anxiety is to quiet it, either by getting your body moving—with a walk outdoors, for instance—to activate positive neurochemicals in your brain or with deep breathing to activate the parasympathetic nervous system that controls the body’s ability to relax. Just 5 to 10 minutes of either activity can help. 

Next, it’s time to try to understand why you’re feeling anxious—to find out what’s causing the anxiety. It might be something within your control, like a work deadline, or something deeper, like the fear of public speaking. In either case, the third step is to come up with an action plan, a to-do list to turn anxiety from bad to good and be productive instead of ruminating. For example, to meet the work deadline, steps might include carving out set blocks of time when you’ll focus only on the components of the project, no distractions, or finding a partner you can collaborate with. To overcome a fear of public speaking, you might tap into therapy for tools that enable you to give a speech despite your worries. By completing the to-do’s you come up with, you help resolve the anxiety and become more productive as a result, according to Dr. Suzuki.

Fitness Flash: 2022 Exercise Trends

Fitness Flash

Get on trend with exercise

We all know the dilemma—you want to move more but it’s hard to get started! For the past 16 years, the editors of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness journal have compiled an annual list of the top fitness trends based on responses to an electronic survey from thousands of fitness professionals around the world. To get energized, look at the top trends for 2022, pick one that excites you, and take the plunge.

1. Wearable technology. Fitness or activity trackers, smart watches, heart rate monitors, and GPS tracking devices from names like Apple, Polar, Fitbit, Samsung, and Jawbone are a great way to keep track of your steps. Set a target, and as you watch the daily number go up, you’ll become more motivated to reach and exceed your goal. Counting calories burned and reminders to stand up every hour are other functions that will encourage movement. Blood pressure, oxygen saturation, body temperature, respiratory rate, and electrocardiogram readings will keep you on top of any health issues as well.

2. Home gyms. Just because you’re hunkered down at home doesn’t mean you can’t get in a workout. A home gym can mean a basic stationary bike or one with all the bells and whistles. There are options to suit every budget.

3. Outdoor activities. Get outside when you can. Small group walks, bike rides, and hikes have zoomed up from 25th in popularity in 2010, the first year they were ranked, to the 3rd spot in large part due to the idea that exercising outdoors during the pandemic is safer than in a commercial gym. While you can look for organized events with a group leader, it’s easy enough to put together your own team of friends and family.

4. Strength training with free weights. Whether you use barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells, medicine balls, or even high-tension bands, building muscle is key to good health, and is especially essential once we start to lose muscle in our 30s. You might add an all-in-one weight training unit to your home gym—it takes up little space but lets you target all major muscle groups. But it’s important to get proper instruction from a trainer—perhaps virtually—to learn correct form and progress safely and effectively. 

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #67

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Garlicky Kale and Ricotta Crostini Recipe, How the Mediterranean Diet Got Its Name, The Cultural Benefits of Olive Oil and The Key to Sustainable Eating

When we read about the benefits of olive oil, they’re usually centered on its amazing health boosts to the heart, brain, and more. Surprising as it may seem at first glance, there are also cultural benefits from having olive oil as the cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet. These benefits stem from traditions surrounding the growing and pressing of olives, choosing other seasonal and local foods, and preparing and enjoying meals with family and friends. I experience that conviviality firsthand every time I’m at an olive harvest, and it’s exhilarating! What’s more, because olive oil and most components of the diet are plant based, it’s a very sustainable way of eating for our planet. I’m sharing insights from three reports on the importance of olive oil and the Mediterranean diet to inspire you to not only embrace healthy eating, but also to better our environment.

Olive Oil Vessels Ancient
These olive oil vessels date back nearly 2,000 years!

Mediterranean Diet

How the Mediterranean Diet Got Its Name

The history of the Mediterranean diet is itself fascinating. According to the article “Impact of Mediterranean Diet on Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases and Longevity,” published in Nutrients in June 2021, the diet was formally described in the Seven Countries Study from the 1950s. The study identified the diet’s health benefits: “Southern European populations from countries where olive trees grow naturally exhibited longevity among the highest in the world, with the lowest incidence of coronary heart disease, cancer, and other non-communicable diseases. These populations did not follow a specific dietary pattern, but some traditional eating and lifestyle habits [that] originated centuries before.” That description piqued the interest of everyone—from scholars to foodies—from that day forward. It’s not hard to argue that the Mediterranean way of life became the inspiration for each of today’s wildly popular plant-based diets.

That early research showed that over 60% of the calories in the Mediterranean diet came from plant foods, compared to just 37% in the American diet, and though both populations ate the same number of fat calories, the main source of these calories among Mediterranean people was olive oil, not the animal fat preferred in the US. The researchers of the study were surprised by how healthy the Mediterranean people were despite living without the so-called advances of the Western industrialized world! People in the region might have wished for more meat in their diet, but it was precisely the lack of meat and the emphasis on plant-based foods, including the physical activity of cultivating, gathering, and cooking them, that kept certain diseases at bay.

Cultural Benefits of Olive Oil

The Cultural Benefits of Olive Oil

As more studies were done, it also became clear that the Mediterranean diet wasn’t only about food, but also about traditions and practices that were passed down through generations, “extending from the countryside and food production to the ways of cooking, which provide a feeling of belonging and permanency to the community. Mediterranean traditional cuisines are rich in aromas, colors, and memories, highlighting the taste and the synchronization with nature, and emphasizing the significance of preparing and consuming foods jointly with family and friends,” states the article in Nutrients. 

The way of life connected to the Mediterranean diet is so unique that in 2010 UNESCO, known for designating geographical areas as world heritage sites, gave the diet its cultural registration of “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity,” first singling out Greece, Italy, Morocco, and Spain and then adding Croatia, Cyprus, and Portugal in 2013.

Here’s how UNESCO describes it:

The Mediterranean diet involves a set of skills, knowledge, rituals, symbols and traditions concerning crops, harvesting, fishing, animal husbandry, conservation, processing, cooking, and particularly the sharing and consumption of food. Eating together is the foundation of the cultural identity and continuity of communities throughout the Mediterranean basin. It is a moment of social exchange and communication, an affirmation and renewal of family, group or community identity. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes values of hospitality, neighbourliness, intercultural dialogue and creativity, and a way of life guided by respect for diversity. It plays a vital role in cultural spaces, festivals and celebrations, bringing together people of all ages, conditions and social classes. It includes the craftsmanship and production of traditional receptacles for the transport, preservation and consumption of food, including ceramic plates and glasses. Women play an important role in transmitting knowledge of the Mediterranean diet: they safeguard its techniques, respect seasonal rhythms and festive events, and transmit the values of the element to new generations. Markets also play a key role as spaces for cultivating and transmitting the Mediterranean diet during the daily practice of exchange, agreement and mutual respect.

With so much focus on its social and cultural aspects, it’s no wonder that a group of researchers reimagined the food pyramid. In their version, olive oil, fruits and vegetables, and grains are the food foundation, but the base level of the pyramid illustrates the activities and traditions highlighted by UNESCO.

Sustainable Eating

The Key to Sustainable Eating

In the paper “Looking for Commensality: On Culture, Health, Heritage, and the Mediterranean Diet,” published in March 2021 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the Mediterranean diet gets the nod as a way to feed the planet in a sustainable way. The paper refers to the report from the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems “that highlighted the evidence that a diet rich in plant-based foods and fewer foods of animal origin confers not only optimal health outcomes but also environmental benefits. The Commission presented an integrated framework providing scientific targets for healthy diets and sustainable food production. It estimates that the transformation to healthy diets by 2050 will require that the world’s consumption of fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes doubles, and the consumption of foods such as red meat and sugar should be reduced by more than 50%.” That’s an important reminder, as over the past decades the diets of many people living around the Mediterranean have become Westernized and Western illnesses are gaining a foothold.

How can you adopt this way of life? The report “Mediterranean Diet as Intangible Heritage of Humanity: 10 Years On,” published in June 2021 in Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, mentions making olive oil, described as a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet, our main source of fat. It also talks about using the Mediterranean diet and the activities surrounding it as a global model for health and sustainability since “humanity as a whole will benefit from its preservation and scientific-based evidence.” 

The article in Nutrients outlines a guiding philosophy you might follow. It includes: 

  • Choosing fresh, locally produced foods
  • Connecting with and respecting nature
  • Cooking flavorfully
  • Eating moderate portion sizes
  • Doing moderate physical activity every day
  • Preparing and eating meals in the company of others

Garlicky Kale and Ricotta Crostini

  • The Olive Oil Hunter News #71 Garlicky Kale and Ricotta Crostini

    In keeping with the convivial aspect of the Mediterranean diet, here’s a delicious recipe to make and share with loved ones.

    Ingredients

    • 1 12-inch baguette, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch slices
    • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
    • 4 cloves garlic, peeled; 2 halved, 2 minced
    • 1 large bunch baby kale, or another specialty type, stems removed and leaves coarsely torn or chopped 
    • 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
    • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • 1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
    • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
    • 1/2 cup fresh ricotta 

    Directions

    Step 1

    Preheat your oven to 350°F. Make the crostini: Generously brush each slice of bread on both sides with olive oil and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, until the bread is lightly browned on both sides. Remove from the oven and rub both sides of the bread slices with the halved cloves of garlic and set aside.

    Step 2

    Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Film the bottom of the pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the kale and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water if the kale seems to be getting dry. Push the kale to one side of the pan and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the other side. Add the minced garlic to the oil along with the anchovy paste and crushed red pepper flakes. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. Combine with the kale.

    Step 3

    Stir in the vinegar, zest, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more to blend the flavors.

    Step 4

    To serve, spread each crostini with a bit of ricotta and top with the sautéed kale.

    Yields 6 to 8 servings

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #66

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Quinoa with Corn and Black Beans Recipe, Spotlight on Quinoa and Black Beans, How Air Quality Affects Your Brain, and Lower Your Cancer Risk with Exercise

Even if you haven’t jumped on the Meatless Monday bandwagon, adding plant-based proteins to your diet can help maintain muscle mass, which naturally wanes as we get older. This quinoa recipe, enriched with black beans, is a winner! For more good health in 2022, take stock of your air quality, both indoors and out, and get motivated to move by new findings on the link between exercise and how it may lower cancer risk.

Quinoa with Corn and Black Beans

  • Quinoa with Corn and Black Beans Quinoa with Corn and Black Beans

    Protein-packed quinoa is a nutrition powerhouse, rich in manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin B1, and folate. Tossed with corn, black beans, red bell pepper and herbs, it makes for an easy, colorful, healthy main or side!

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock, preferably homemade 
    • 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 2 cups flash-frozen yellow corn kernels, defrosted
    • 1 cup cooked black beans 
    • 3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 red bell pepper, seeded, ribbed, and diced
    • 3 to 4 scallions, trimmed, white and green parts thinly sliced 
    • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
    • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, or more to taste
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

    Directions

    Step 1

    Combine the stock and quinoa in a 1-1/2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the paprika and turmeric. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the quinoa is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. 

    Step 2

    Add the corn and black beans and heat them through, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the olive oil, bell pepper, scallions, cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. 

    Step 3

    Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.

    Yields 4 side dish or 2 main course servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Quinoa

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Quinoa: Tastes great, more filling

Cultivated for more than 5,000 years in the Andean region of South America, quinoa has become a high-protein plant food darling in the US. Though technically a seed, it’s often put into the whole grain category. But no matter what you call it, quinoa is a powerhouse of nutrition. One cup of cooked quinoa delivers about 5 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein, and unlike most other grains, it’s a complete protein, meaning that it contains all nine essential amino acids. It’s also rich in manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin B1, and folate, according to Harvard Health. There are more than 120 known varieties of quinoa, from the mild-tasting white and yellow to the earthier red and black, whose shape holds up better after cooking. You can even pop it on the stove like popcorn. 

Healthy Kitchen Nugget: Black Beans

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Black beans: Know your options

It’s crazy easy to open a can of black beans, cooked and ready to reheat or add to a recipe. But it’s not really complicated to make them from scratch, plus you control the added salt—the chief drawback of canned beans. Store brands like Goya sell dried black beans, and they’re also available from Rancho Gordo and other online gourmet outlets. When convenience is key and you’re shopping for canned, look for sodium-free varieties, or drain and rinse the beans before using to remove as much salt as possible.

For your best health: air quality and your brain

For Your Best Health

Air quality and your brain

It’s no secret that air pollution can be harmful, especially to our lungs, and it pays to stay indoors on poor air quality days. Now research shows that it can age our brains, too. A fascinating study looked at performance changes in people playing brain-training games and found that even short-term exposure to air pollution affects brain performance and the capacity to work, causing cognitive function damage. 

“The games we studied targeted seven cognitive functions: memory, verbal ability, attention, flexibility, math ability, speed, and problem-solving,” explains Andrea La Nauze, PhD, of the University of Queensland School of Economics. “We found that exposure to moderately high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) caused a player to drop by almost six points on a 100-point scale where 100 represents the score of the top 1% of cognitive performers. In fact, if you’re under 30 years old and you’re exposed to this level of pollution, your cognitive function declines by the same amount as aging by 15 years.” 

PM2.5 are tiny particles 2.5 microns or smaller in size. If inhaled, they can get into the lungs, enter the bloodstream, and cause other serious health problems such as heart disease and respiratory issues. “Cognitive functions are skills that we use to process, store, and use information—they’re critical to tasks ranging from making a cup of tea to self-regulating,” she says. “Economists are just beginning to study cognition, but recent research suggests changes in cognitive function impact workforce productivity. Our results show the effects of air pollution are largest for those under 50—people of prime working age—which indicates that day-to-day performance in our jobs is also likely to be impacted. You can alter your exposure in small ways by staying indoors, using air filtration, or moving to a less-polluted suburb,” she says.

Fitness Flash: Air Quality and your brain

Fitness Flash

Lower your cancer risk with exercise

A study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise and led by Adair Minihan, MPH, of the American Cancer Society, found that 3% of cancer cases—more than 46,000—could be prevented each year in the US if we met the recommended physical activity guidelines of 5 hours per week of moderate-intensity exercise.

This was the first study to estimate, state by state, the number of cancer cases linked to physical inactivity based on the location of the cancer (breast, endometrium, colon, stomach, kidney, esophagus, and urinary bladder). In terms of specific cancer sites, 16.9% of stomach cancers, 11.9% of endometrial cancers, 11.0% of kidney cancers, 9.3% of colon cancers, 8.1% of esophageal cancers, 6.5% of female breast cancers, and 3.9% of urinary bladder cancers were associated with a lack of exercise. By state, the proportion of cancer cases attributable to physical inactivity ranged from 2.3% in Utah to 3.7% in Kentucky.

For both men and women, states with the highest proportion of cancers attributable to physical inactivity were in the South, including Kentucky, West Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Mississippi; the lowest proportions were found in the Mountain region and northern states, including Utah, Montana, Wyoming, and Washington, as well as Wisconsin.

The study also highlighted the fact that many people have to overcome barriers in order to exercise, such as a lack of time because of work demands, the cost of a gym membership or home equipment, and even not having access to a safe environment in which to exercise. It may help to get involved in community programs and group activities, both to strengthen a commitment to exercise and to tap into its social benefits. 

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #65

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Olive Oil Smoothie and Carrot Salad Recipes, Spotlight on Mustards, New Year—Clean Fridge, and How to Achieve Your New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s resolutions can be a powerful force for change. While many start a new diet on January 1, intending to momentarily undo the excesses of the holidays, I like to make small yet permanent changes that I can stick with and build on for a healthier lifestyle. This year, my wife, Meghan, and I are making a commitment to eating more vegetable-based meals—and this week’s recipes each score a 10 in that department. How can you make change easier? Here’s research that will help you reinforce the positive steps you want to take so they won’t be forgotten by Valentine’s Day!

Olive Oil Smoothie

  • Olive Oil Smoothie Olive Oil Smoothie

    A couple spoonsful of antioxidant-rich extra virgin olive oil boosts the nutritional value of your pre- or post-workout smoothie. 

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 banana
    • 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
    • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk 10 raw cashews
    • 1 handful baby spinach
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Pinch of salt (kosher or sea)
    • Dash of cinnamon (optional) 

    Directions

    Combine the fruits, almond milk, cashews, and spinach in a blender and run the machine until the mixture is smooth. With the machine running, add the olive oil, salt, and cinnamon, if using. Makes one 16-ounce smoothie. 

    Serves 1 — Recipe courtesy of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club 

Carrot Salad

  • Carrot Salad Carrot Salad

    Garden-fresh carrots with feathery tops are preferred for this simple but colorful salad. It is perfect for weeknight dinners, potlucks, or picnics.

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound whole carrots, preferably with tops
    • 1/2 cup golden or dark raisins (optional)
    • 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • 1 to 2 teaspoons honey
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon or coarse-grained mustard
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
    • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • Coarse salt, to taste

    Directions

    Step 1

    Remove the carrot tops and chop 2 tablespoons for the salad; add to a medium mixing bowl. (Save the remainder of the tops for vegetable stock, carrot top pesto, etc. You can substitute chopped parsley if carrots with tops are not available.) Peel the carrots and finely grate on a box grater or in a food processor.

    Step 2

    Combine the carrots with the chopped carrot tops, raisins, if using, and chives.

    Step 3

    Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, honey, mustard, cumin, if using, and olive oil. Whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt. Add the dressing to the carrot mixture and toss gently to combine. For the best flavor, allow the salad to sit for 30 minutes, then transfer to a serving bowl. If covered and refrigerated, the salad will keep for several days.

    Serves 4 — Recipe courtesy of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Cilantro

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Mustards

Having a selection of mustards that go beyond the ubiquitous yellow adds versatility to your cooking. A classic Dijon brings a wonderful sharpness to vinaigrettes and crusts for fish and lamb; add some honey and you’ve got a sweet and tangy sandwich condiment. Grainy mustards, which use the entire mustard seed, have texture as well as a heartier flavor, making them a great addition to stews and soups, among other dishes.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: No-Bowl Marinade

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Clean out your fridge for the new year

A New Year’s resolution that’s easy to keep and takes an hour at most is to do a clean sweep of your fridge. Most important is to check each item for its expiration date (of course, toss anything that looks or smells questionable, no matter the printed use-by date). Hard as it might be, throw out foods that you know you’re not going to use again, like that salsa you tried and just didn’t like or the jam that wasn’t as sweet as you expected. If you haven’t given the fridge itself a good cleaning lately, use a mild dish soap and paper towels to wipe down all the shelves, bins, and doors.

Fitness Flash: Feeding Your Brain Through Fitness

For Your Best Health

Putting the Spotlight on Potassium

It’s no secret that changing habits is hard. There have only been a few studies on how well we stick to New Year’s resolutions, and the findings say it’s not well at all. But research published in Frontiers in Psychology in 2018 found that having two types of goals can make a difference: They work together to get you where you want to go. There are big-picture goals, like being healthier or losing weight, which tend to be vague, and smaller, in-the-weeds goals that can be the building blocks of getting to the big target, like going to the gym twice a week or cutting out 100 calories a day. The smaller goals, which are very specific and time-oriented, need to be repeated until you reach the big-picture one, yet they serve as terrific motivation to keep you going.

A study on New Year’s resolutions published in 2020 in PlosOne found that some people do better with some support. This could be a session with a fitness trainer or a dietitian, who can provide information to help you reach your goals. 

Change is also easier to effect when it becomes second nature. In her book How to Change: The Science of Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (Penguin), Katy Milkman, PhD, a behavioral scientist and the James G. Dinan Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, details research-backed tools to help make new habits stick. These include telling your partner or a close friend about your goal because it makes the commitment more real and you won’t want to risk embarrassment by not reaching it; linking a new habit to an existing one, like eating fruit when you take your morning vitamins; and setting smartphone reminders for walking breaks so you don’t have the excuse of forgetting to do them. It also helps to be flexible and not abandon your entire plan because of one slip here or there. 

Making permanent habits, rather than going on and off a regimen, really brings the best results in the long run.

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