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(NAPSI)-People love grapes. Red grapes, green
grapes, blue-black grapes-they're fun to eat as a healthy snack and a
perfect addition to salads, appetizers, entrees and desserts.
Even in winter, sweet, juicy grapes can
grace your table and frequent your lunch bag. When it's winter here, it's
summer in Chile; and thanks to dedicated growers and the Chilean Fresh Fruit
Association, enjoying a colorful array of grapes as part of your 5 to 9
daily servings of fruits and vegetables is deliciously easy. Three quarters
of a cup of grapes provides about 90 calories, about six percent daily value
of potassium, is a good source of vitamin C, and provides an abundance of
health-promoting phytochemicals. These phytochemicals, particularly the
flavonoids, are concentrated in grape skins. Flavonoids help fight heart
disease by lowering blood cholesterol levels and all varieties of grapes
contain flavonoids.
Fruits and vegetables contain hundreds of
different phytochemicals, so it's important to eat a varied diet each day.
To make choosing a variety of fruits and vegetables simple, we've identified
5 color groups: red, yellow/orange, white, green, and blue/purple. The goal
is to eat at least one serving of fruit and/or vegetable from every group
every day. Make our super simple Grapes and Grains salad for dinner using
red grapes from the red group, green grapes from the green group and
blue-black grapes from the blue/purple group. Or, instead of grapes, try
making it with fresh slices of peach, plum or nectarine for a salad at
lunch. Either way you've got the beginnings of a healthful diet.
Grapes are versatile and their delightful
colors make them a welcome addition to many dishes. Freeze grapes and add
them to a tall refreshing glass of white grape juice. Stir a handful of
grapes into chicken salad along with some celery and carrots. Thread
different colored grapes on skewers with cubes of grilled turkey and slices
of red bell pepper. Choose grapes that are plump, full-colored and firmly
attached to the stems. Store unwashed grapes in a plastic bag in the
refrigerator; they will keep for up to one week.
For more information about fresh fruits
from Chile, visit
www.cffausa.org and for
more information about 5 A Day The Color Way, visit
www.5aday.org and
www.aboutproduce.com.
Remember, eat your colors every day!
Grapes and Grains
2 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 cups cooked barley (do not overcook)
11/2 cups seedless or halved, seeded Chilean grapes
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
In mixing bowl, whisk together oil, lemon
and orange juices. Add barley, grapes, celery, and onions, tossing to coat.
Season with salt and pepper; chill until serving time. Makes 4 servings.
Nutritional information per serving:
calories: 246, total fat: 8.2g, saturated fat: 1.2g, % calories from fat:
28%, protein: 4g, carbohydrates: 42g, cholesterol: 0mg, dietary fiber: 8g,
sodium: 89mg
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