Terre Pruitt's Blog

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Posts Tagged ‘Salsa’

Dancing With Persimmons

Posted by terrepruitt on November 13, 2014

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCAOk, not really, but Salsa is a dance.  In my post where I had asked what to make with all the winter fruits and veggies I said I had about seven persimmons and I did.  I didn’t know what to do with them and I know we are going to be get more in the next delivery.  I know I can always make Fancy Toast, but I wanted something else to do with them.  All I found when doing a quick search on the internet were cookies and cakes.  I wanted a savory persimmon recipe.  So I searched for “savory persimmon recipes” and I found one on the ad infested Organic Authority.  It is a persimmon salsa.  I thought, “Why not?”  So below is my version of Persimmon Salsa, which is not too much different from theirs.  I just cut up the persimmon smaller, used tablespoons instead of teaspoons, and used a different, milder, pepper.

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Persimmon SalsaDance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA

5 small Fuyu persimmons
2 tbsp minced shallots
1 tbsp PLUS 1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp minced fresh basil
2 tbsp minced fresh mint
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp minced Anaheim pepper
salt
pepper

Peel the persimmons and cut into tiny chunks.  Mix the shallots, lemon juice, basil, mint, ginger, and pepper in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Let the flavors meld together for at least two hours.  Then serve however you would like.

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Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCAMy idea was to let my hubby munch on it as an appetizer.  I wanted to serve it on crackers. That is why I cut up the persimmons really small.  If I were just going to plop in on some meat, I might not finely “chop” the persimmons.  Even though I thought I would have leftovers and would end up putting some of it on chicken (or perhaps pork), I thought I’d start small since its original purpose is to pile it onto crackers.

Next time I make it, I will pair it with some meat.   Instead of using it to flavor the meat during cooking, like I do with marinades, I will just use it raw as a topping.

I also think the next time I make it, I might use a little more pepper since he couldn’t taste the pepper at all.  Before the flavors all settled it wasn’t too hot.  I was careful to avoid the peppers though when I tasted it.  We will see.  My husband really liked it even though he didn’t experience any heat.

Anaheim peppers are supposedly less hot than the jalapenos that the original recipe called for.  I was going for “less hot.”

So now I have another type of relish, salsa to use during the holidays.  It can be used as an appetizer with crackers or used to add flavor to meat, just like the cranberry relish recipe I just posted. (click here to go to: A Quick And Yummy Way To Use Cranberries).  I normally try not to post recipes so close together, but I had Nia class this morning and have to rush off to yoga tonight.  I don’t know where the day went.  I had this post all typed up and ready to go. . . . so two recipe post close together!

I won’t be eating this salsa by the spoonful because of the peppers, but the cranberry relish . . . . no telling.

What are you doing with all of your persimmons?  Do you just eat them as you would an apple?  Do you have a favorite recipe?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Winter Time Ideas

Posted by terrepruitt on November 1, 2014

It is winter time, although with the way the weather has been behaving the past few years I am not sure that nature knows how to respond.  Animals and plants do not have clocks and calendars, they react to their internal clocks and the way the weather is.  If it is warm they might not realize winter is on the way and they need to prepare.  If there is no water they might not be able to prepare.  If their homes or hunting grounds are being torn up because buildings or houses are being built they might even be at more of a loss.  But there are still a few fruits and veggies we might see during the winter.  Perhaps not all of nature is confused.  One is the delicata squash I recently mentioned.  A friend was over asking if we ate the skin.  She also mentioned winter squash and while I had heard the term before I never really paid attention.  It used to be in the same category to me as how things are classified.  I never paid attention to what is a winter squash and what is a summer squash.  I just buy what is in the store.  I have been receiving winter veggies and fruits in my delivery.  Perhaps more accurately described as fall fruits and veggies.  I have pomegranates, persimmons, and pears.  We have received chard, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and delicata squash.  What do you do with that stuff?

You know me.  If you have read one, you’ve read them all . . . I roast it.  Roasting is so easy.  It is easy, tasty, and time efficient.  Time really is the main reason why I love roasting.  Cut it up, oil it, garlic it, salt it and put it in the oven, then go do whatever it is you still need to do.  So easy.  But I can’t do that for everything.  Ok, with the squash I get “fancy”, I roast it THEN I stuff it, but c’mon . . . there has got to be other ways.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCATonight I made a stuffed pumpkin.  I didn’t have any ricotta so I used the Neufchâtel cheese I had left over from the chicken dish I made – documented in my post Leftover Rainbow Chard To The Rescue.  I think it might have even made it better.  I’m not sure.  I just didn’t want to buy a container of ricotta just for 2 ounces. So I just decided to use the Neufchâtel since I had bought 8 ounces of it and only used 2 ounces.  It was fine.

I do want to roast a pumpkin to make soup out of it, but what else do you do with all of these wonderful winter vegetables.  I have never gotten beyond my Fancy Toast when it comes to persimmons and I have about seven sitting on my counter right now.  What do you do with persimmons?  Can they be uses in a “salsa” or a chutney?

Can you use delicata squach for soup?  I also received some baby bok choy.  Read any of my posts?  If so, you know I LOOOOOOOVE baby bok choy.  It can be cooked and eaten by itself or added to just about anything.  YUM!!!!

I am just thinking you might have ideas that you could share.  Some tried and true, some favorite recipes that you might want to share.  I asked last year and I received a SPECTACULAR recipe I am going to share soon.  It is easy and yummy and one of those things you make that you just want to put on/in everything because it is so good.  You can eat it by itself.

So . . . what have you got?  What do you do with all of or any of this wonder winter produce we have?

 

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Dwight’s Delicious Dinner

Posted by terrepruitt on April 8, 2014

In a recent post I asked for help with the items I received in my produce box. I received some great ideas. One of them was from a Chef, he is the owner of Burke’s Grill in Douglasville, Georgia. He came up with a great idea to use EVERYTHING in the box in one dish. I never would have thought to do that so I just had to try it. I hope I didn’t ruin his recipe by not having sweet basil. I used marjoram instead. Not the same, but I love it. Also, the wild rice he recommended would have added another layer of flavor but I just used the white rice that I had. His comment of the original idea/recipe is on my post Can’t Come Up With Ideas. Below I have arranged it in more of a recipe format and documented it as I did it.

In his comment he said, “First,this is advice from a chef’s view point. Organize your items from the ground up. Onions, radishes, carrots together.  Then chard alone (it’s special). Then kiwis,grapefruit and apples. Now we are cooking.” Oh yeah, now we are cooking. Here is what I did.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo, Gentle YogaIngredients for Dwight’s Delicious Dinner:

2 white spring onions
2 pippin apples
4 carrots
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 grapefruit
2 radishes
salt
pepper
1/2 – 1 teaspoon marjoram
balsamic vinegar
1 lb (or so) ground turkey
4 HUGE leaves of rainbow chard
white rice (enough to make a “bed”)
two kiwis

Chop the onion. Cut the apples and carrots into bite size pieces and saute in 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil until warm. (You don’t want to cook them too much because they are going to be used as a salsa and as an addition to the meat mixture.) After you are done, split the mixture in half. Half will be the salsa used a a topping. The other half will get added to the meat.

While the above is cooking/warming . . . squeeze the grapefruit for the juice.

I used the same pan to cook the turkey, since the mixture is set aside.   Cook the turkey in 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil until almost done. While it is cooking chop the rainbow chard. When the turkey is almost done add the chard. Salt the chard and stir. Cook this until the turkey is fully cooked and the chard is how you want it to be done.  Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo, Gentle YogaAdd the half of the onion, apple carrot mixture you are not using as salsa. Then, add a sprinkle of grapefruit juice. Only cook for a few minutes.

WHILE the turkey is cooking, mix half of the onion, apple carrot mixture with the two thinly sliced radishes, salt, pepper, and 1/2-1 teaspoon marjoram, and sprinkle of balsamic vinegar. Let that set. Add the grapefruit juice after it has set for a bit. Using as much as you want to get the right bite you would like. I probably just used a tablespoon.

At some point in all of this you need to cook the rice. We have a rice maker so I usually put it on when there is 20 minutes left of cooking. This time I forgot and my hubby came to the rescue.

Also, peel and slice the kiwis.

Once the rice is done and all is done cooking. Put the rice on your plate, spoon the turkey, chard, onion, apple carrot mixture on top of the rice. Then the onion, apple carrot salsa on top of that. Garnish the dish with the kiwis. But be sure to eat the kiwis WITH the turkey/rice/mixture, the flavors blend perfectly. This was a very happy dish.

Something I really needed. So brilliant. I never would have thought to do this. I never would have thought to add all these flavors together. I love that Dwight came up with something that used EVERYTHING in the box that I received.

Thank you so much, Dwight!!!!!!!

So . . . even if you don’t receive a box with all of these items in it . . . I will tell you it is worth it to get to the store and actually purchase these ingredients and make this dish for yourself. It is like a party for dinner.

Well, what do you think?Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo, Gentle Yoga

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments »

Rooster’s Beak With Cucumbers And Fennel

Posted by terrepruitt on May 25, 2013

So I am not always a big fan of salsa.  I am not always feeling the love for tomatoes and I am NEVER feeling the love for the hot spicy of most salsa.  Most of the time I will just “wet” my chip in the salsa.  Since tomatoes aren’t something I really like I don’t usually like Pico De Gallo.  Recently I saw a pico de gallo recipe with cucumbers in it.  Yes, I know there are a lot of different types of salsa and chunky “salsas”.  You can make what people call salsa out of anything now a days, just like you can make “aioli” out of anything even though aioli is “traditional sauce made of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and egg yolks” and salsa and pico de gallo are traditionally made with tomatoes.  This was a tomato pico de gallo but it has cucumbers in it.  I thought that would be cool.  I saved the recipe with a plan to make it later.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, ZumbaThen one day, the day I was detoured by that little produce store on my way home from Nia Class in San Jose, where I bought my broccoli, I bought some tomatoes too.  I was thinking I would make that pico de gallo.  I knew I had cucumber and cilantro.  Well, as sometimes happens, I didn’t get around to making it right away.  I ended up using the cucumber I had for salads.

Of course, by the time I got some cucumber and decided to make the pico de gallo my cilantro was a bag of mush.  That stuff goes fast and it was the bottom shelf so I hadn’t seen how bad off it was.  So I ended up not having cilantro.  But I had fennel.  I thought I could try a “pico de gallo” with fennel tops.  Not a traditional pico de gallo anyway because it has cucumbers in it.

Since it was not going to have any cilantro and fennel is not very strong I put in a lot of onions!  A LOT.  For me . . . too many.  I think it made it too hot.  But my husband liked it.  The original recipe can be found here.

I made it like this:

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Pico de Gallo/Salsa Fresca

2 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped

1/4 medium onion, finely chopped

4 T finely chopped cucumber

2 T fresh fennel tops

2 garlic cloves

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Squeeze of 1/2 fresh lemon

I pressed the garlic in a garlic press, then combined all the ingredients.  I let it chill for a few hours.

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My husband liked it.  But he is really easy to cook for because he likes pretty much everything.  But he said it was good.  I think the onions carried it.  I am not sure the fennel was strong enough to add that much of a flavor.  But I know it was very different than pico de gallo with cilantro.

The next day there was some left over and I added avocados to it.  I didn’t even taste it because I don’t like guacamole, but my hubby enjoyed it.

I might actually try this again with the actual fennel BULB!  I really like fennel!  And I LOVE the idea of cucumbers in pico de gallo!

***(Added June 19, 2013) According to Wiki:  “In Mexican cuisine, pico de gallo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpiko ðe ˈɣaʎo], literally rooster’s beak), also called salsa fresca”***

What do you put in you pico de gallo?  Do you make chunky salsa?

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Salsa, Tango, and Nia

Posted by terrepruitt on January 4, 2011

When I first started teaching my Nia classes I was doing it three times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at the studio in Willow Glen. Not every class had many students. I remember talking to different people about the low numbers. Some of them suggested not having that many classes in a week, not having that many dance lessons a week. Understandable. Most people didn’t know what Nia was. Since it is dance many people thought of it as a dance that you learn. But Nia is not like Salsa or Tango where you are shown steps, then asked to mimic them, then instructed to practice, then allowed to practice to music. Nia is not a dance lesson type of dance.

Even though Nia incorporates nine different movement forms, Nia is more comparable to Zumba or Jazzercise where the music is playing and the participants follow the lead of the teacher. No experience in or with any of the movement forms is required. Nia is a cardio dance workout, it is exercise so it is GREAT to do it three times a week. It is recommended to participate in a form of cardio exercise at least three times a week to maintain heart health. Depending upon your individual needs and goals cardio more often might even be in order. So Nia three times a week is great.

When I had the opportunity to hold a third class in a week that is exactly what many of my Monday and Wednesday students said, “Nia three times a week is great!”  Now I have a third Nia class on Fridays in Los Gatos.  (I know I have said that before, but I am excited.  Plus I need to get the word out!)

Another point about Salsa and Tango is a partner is needed. Nia does not require a partner so it is often easier to actually do it three times a week since you are not trying to coordinate with another person to meet and dance three times a week.

Participating in Nia with any regularity participants will learn, but it might not be dance steps. There are many things to learn when participating in Nia, but it is not taught as steps and or patterns are taught in a dance lesson.  Instead of Nia being a dance lesson, you will learn lessons as you dance Nia.  🙂

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