vegan

Make Homemade Gifts From Extra Fruits

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If you have a extra fruits at home, either because you bought too much from the farmer’s market, or got from someone who has garden, what to do? It happened to us, a neighbor gave us so many oranges, more than we could eat. We ate fruits, made fresh juice, even shared some with other friends, we still had leftover oranges on our kitchen counter.

I turned to internet and food blogs to find a ways to make something edible form oranges, as I could not think of anything at top of my head. I found a few ways to not only use leftover extra oranges but also found a ways to use other fruits and make some home made gifts to share with others. Here are a few ways to save money, eat healthy and be creative at the same time.

Make Citrus Salt:

Ingredients:

Leftover fruits such as Oranges, Lemon, Lime

1 Cup Coarse salt

How to Make it: Recipe

Zest Oranges or other citrus fruits Until you get about 4 table spoons worth of Citrus zest. I use small inexpensive gadget that works well. Make sure not to zest white part of the citrus fruit as it tends to be bitter.

Mix zest and coarse salt in small bowl. You can use small whisk, but I prefer to use my hand to mix the content to release the flavor.

Spread it on baking try and leave it overnight to air dry it. I suppose it can be done in oven but I did not try it so not sure how the outcome would come out and taste. Air drying worked well for me. Fill it in air tight glass herb bottle. You can use in in Salad, soup and use it in herb infused olive oil with pasta dishes. Over the time, zest colors may fade but taste remains.

It should have about 2 months of shelf life.

Candied Orange Peels

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Ingredients:

3 Oragnges

2 Lemons

4 Cups of Sugar

1 Grapefruit

Recipe:

Peel Orange, lemons and grapefruit and score them in to sections in to 6-8 pieces by hand. Make sure peels are washed and does not have white parts or citrus membrane.

Cut Peels in to strips about half inch thick approximate measure.

Put washed and cut peel strip in sauce pan with water. Cover the sauce pan and bring to boil until soft. Drain.

Use same sauce pan and add 3 cups of water with 3 cups of sugar and bring to boil. Make sure sugar dissolves in to water.

Add boiled Citrus peel and bring to boil again.

Reduce heat and simmer peels slowly and gently. Stir once in a while until Citrus Peels are translucent and syrup becomes bubbly. It took about 94 minutes or so for me , approx. 1.5 hours. It is not a fast cooking so have patience while making this.

Once you think peels are translucent, drain it. Save syrup for other things (topping on crepes etc.)

Spread Peels in to cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Let it sit and dry it overnight, 8-12 hours.

Put remaining 1 cup sugar with food color of your choice, I used red. Toss red sugar powder in a bowls with air dried peels. Shake off excess sugar. Again let it air dry for 1 more day 8-12 hours, before eating.

For variety, you can dip these peels in to melted chocolates half way and dry it or freeze it. It will make beautiful candied peels that will taste great too.

Fruit Jelly:

Ingredients:

Approx. 2 Cups fruit juice such as Orange Juice or Lemon Juice. (It can be freshly squeezed of store bought)

3 cups sugar

6 oz liquid pectin

2 table spoon fresh lemon Juice

Coarse sugar

Cooking oil (spray)

Recipe:

Take large sauce pot and pour Citrus Juice and sugar in it. stir to combine and dissolve the sugar.

Line a baking pan with microwave safe plastic wrap, covering whole pan and spray with cooking oil spray lightly. Leave it on side.

Cook juice on sauce pot on high heat for about 20 minutes or so, until mixture becomes soft ball stage. add liquid pectin inside and stir in for 2 minutes or so. You can use candy thermometer also but I did not, I just eye balled and guessed the temperature. I am bit lazy like that. If you use candy thermometer, make sure temp is about 220 degree or so.

Remove pot from the heat. Stir in lemon juice.

The pour the mixture in to prepared baking pan lined with plastic wrap.

Let it sit and cool for 1.5 to 2 hours, until it becomes firm.

Lift plastic wrap on pan and cut in 1 inch squares, or any shapes you like by knife or cookie cutters.

Dip each pieces in to sugar gently.

Store it in air tight container. You can wrap each little pieces to make sure they stay unbroken if you like.

Enjoy.

Image source: Wikipedia

101 Changes: Change 14: Try New Food -How To Use Pomegranate Fruit

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I am writing a series of 101 small changes that we can make to make the quality of our life better and build and lead a happier life that is in tune with our heart and mind. These are small changes that I have made and am working on now, so I know they are possible for anyone to do.

If you have not read previous posts, check out a few posts on the changes from the past:

101 changes: Change 13: Reduce Eating Fast Food

101 changes series:

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Pomegranate fruit or its juice is popular in India and other part of Asia. In US, many people seem to know and drink POM juice bottles, which seems to be popular among some health conscious people. However, fresh Pomegranate fruits are easily available in even regular store and can be used in variety ways in cooking for its nutrition. One of my friend wanted to try eating fresh fruit but did not know how to cut and use in recipes or even making a juice at home.  While cutting open Pomegranate fruit is not complicated, it can be messy and its juice can stain your clothes and sometimes even counter top. So, taking some minor precautions will make this task much simpler and easier.

About Pomegranate Fruit:

Pomegranate fruit is native to Iran and used in Asian areas such as northern India and Himalayas region. It is now cultivated in California and Arizona area. There are several varieties of Pomegranate with flowers and without fruit which are grown for its red flowers looks. Usually fruit is size of large lemon or grapefruit size. One fruit can hold anywhere from 300 to 1500 seeds, depending on size.

Health Benefits of Pomegranate:

  • Used in Aryuvedic medicine for traditional remedy against diarrhea, dysentery and intestinal parasites.
  • Its juice is used in Aryuvedic medicine for stopping nose bleeding and gum bleeding.
  • It is also used for firming-up sagging breasts and treating hemorrhoids
  • Some use the juice as eye drops for cataracts
  • It supposed to help reduce the heart disease risks
  • It provides Vitamic C, B5, Potassium and other flavonoids
  • Pomegranate is high in fiber which is best for digestion

Where  and how Pomegranate can be used in cooking?

Pomegranate juice and seeds both can be used in various ways in savory or sweet recipe dishes. Juice can be drank, reduced to make syrup as gravy on top. Seeds can be used in salad, chutney, curry sauce, as a garnish on soup and stews. Dried Pomegranate seeds can be used in dry cereal or making granola bars, topping on yogurt, frozen yogurt and so on.

How to Open or Peel Pomegranate fruit?

  1. I usually cut the small crown on top of the fruit first to make it easier.
  2. Score Pomegranate in four quarters with sharp knife, do not worry about breaking the seeds.
  3. Put all four pieces in bowl filled with cool water, one at the time.
  4. Softly take out seeds by gentle hand touch to dislodge seeds from the cut pieces.
  5. Once out seeds should sink and other fruit part will float.
  6. Take out the floating parts and drain the water and take out seeds.
  7. Place wet pomegranate seeds on to paper towel to pat dry
  8. Now it can be used to be eaten raw or in any recipes as you desire.
  9. You can keep those fresh pomegranate seeds in fridge for 4-5 days.
  10. Add to Salad, juice can be added in to dressing, garnish on yogurt, soup, stew, pasta, couscous or in vegetables.

For those of us who are busy can buy frozen Pomegranate seeds or dried Pomegranate seeds delivered to your home, or ask skilled friend or mom to do it for you. I like those fresh Pomegranate seeds, it looks so much like small bright ruby stone that you can eat and are cheaper than real ruby gems!

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and so always check with your doctor and its facts before trying out at your own judgement and risk.

Salad Image source: http://www.realepicurean.com

Other Image source: Wikipedia, imgfave