Issue #003 July 13 2006
www.healthy-eating-made-easy.com

Contents

• What’s new at Healthy Eating Made Easy
  
• Seasonal suggestions: blackcurrants
  
• Recipe of the month: blackcurrant ice cream
  
• Feeding kids healthily on journeys

What’s new at Healthy Eating Made Easy

I'm delighted to welcome Peligoni Organic Olive Oil, my very first supplier - see below for details of this delicious and healthy product. There will be many more arriving on the site over the months to come.

At the moment I'm working with retailers in the UK - apologies to readers elsewhere - but soon I hope to be able to tell you about organic goodies from the US as well.

Meanwhile, wherever you are, if you know of a good source of organic or healthy food that's available to buy online, please let me know about it! I'll only feature products that taste fantastic, made by suppliers who are efficient and easy to deal with.

Nothing gets on the site without being tried first - so if you'd like to be considered to join my panel of tasters in future, please also get in touch.

Peligoni Olive Oil
Judy Hamnett, who imports small quantities of this delectable oil into the UK, fell in love with the Greek island of Zakynthos, where the oil is produced. She made contact with the local agricultural co-operative, and got to know a small group of olive farmers who hand-pick the olives from which this tangy, fruity oil is pressed. When Judy discovered that the oil wasn't available in the UK, she decided to put matters right, and import it herself - how's that for enterprise!

Peligoni Organic Olive Oil has a wonderful flavour, and comes packaged in a beautiful, flask-shaped bottle. It would make the perfect gift for a food-loving friend. Find out more, by clicking the link above.

Also new on the site this month:
A subscriber to Eat Healthy! got in touch, and asked if I could put a glossary of UK/US food terms on the site. No sooner said than done - although I suspect there are some yawning gaps...

While I was at it, I also created a conversion table for measurements and oven temps. I do hope these make the site easier for you to use - but do let me know if there's anything else that would help.

Seasonal Suggestions

• Nutrition: Exceptionally high in Vitamin C, they also contain useful amounts of potassium, calcium, phosphorus and Vitamin A.
• Choosing and storing: Pick your own from a farm, if you can. Blackcurrants are ripe as soon as they are black all over, so avoid any with a greenish tinge. They don't store well because they're easily squashed.
• Preparing and cooking: Pick the currants over and remove any dead leaves. Rinse thoroughly but gently. Remove from their stems - you can do this by running the prongs of an upside-down fork down the stems. To cook, use no more than 4 tbsp water per 500g (lb) of raw fruit. Put them in a pan with sugar or honey and place on a low heat for 10-15 minutes until the juices run and the fruit softens. If using in a crisp, crumble or pie, there is no need to cook first, as the fruit will soften as the dish is cooked.
• Serving: Mix with apple or other soft fruits such as strawberries, raspberries or cherries, to fill tarts, pies, crumbles or summer pudding. Cooked and sieved, you can use them for sauces, mix the puree with whipped cream for a fruit fool. On a hot day, try the ice cream recipe below.

Recipe of the Month

Blackcurrant Ice Cream

• Rinse and de-stalk 450g (1 lb) blackcurrants, and cook until soft with 2 tbsp water and sugar to taste. Allow to cool, then push through a sieve, or puree in a blender.
• Whip 300ml (1.25 cups) double cream until thick and fold in the blackcurrants. Pour into one or two polythene boxes leaving at least 1cm (0.5 inches) space at the top for expansion.
• Cover and put in the freezer for several hours until firm, then place in the fridge for 30 mins to soften before serving.

Healthy eating for kids

Send me your favorite healthy eating tip or recipe. You can get in touch here.

Happy healthy eating!