Got Extra Tomatoes & Watermelon? Use ‘Em Up!

They say there are two things money can’t buy:  love, and a home-grown tomato.  Now is the season to enjoy tomatoes in all their summer-kissed glory.  If you find yourself blessed with a bumper crop, try this chutney recipe that pits the bright acidic flavors of an unripe green tomato against the juicy sweetness of ripe watermelon, all underscored with the savory crunch of onion and a hint of chili.  Chutney is just a fancy word for salsa, although it is typically distinguished from salsa by an added element of sweet.  For example, chutney often features mango, apple, or other fruit paired with tomato, onion, a touch of vinegar, and chilies—resulting in a tangy-sweet-spicy condiment.  In this recipe, chutney benefits from watermelon’s sugary crunch and palette-cleansing juice.

For quick prep serve this super-easy homemade chutney with purchased pita or corn chips, but for fun try the following recipe for silver-dollar sized crisps made from garbanzo bean flour.  These thin and crunchy wafers take no more effort to fry than a pancake.  They also score points for being gluten-free, vegan, super-healthy, and with the earthy undertones of cumin they perfectly pair with this chutney.  Top them off with a dollop of whole-milk Greek yogurt for a phenomenal appetizer or main dish.

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Cumin-Garbanzo Crisps

Makes 12 crisps

*Chick pea or garbanzo bean flour can be found in most Asian and Indian markets along with the bulk bins in many health-food stores and grocery stores.

1 cup *Besan (finely ground chick pea flour, also called garbanzo bean flour)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seed

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

2 teaspoons olive oil

½ cup water

Olive oil for frying

In a medium bowl mix all ingredients together with a whisk.  Mixture will remain a little lumpy.  It should be very runny.  If too thick add more water.

On medium high heat in a large non-stick saucepan, heat enough oil to generously coat bottom of pan.  Pour batter into oil making 2-3 inch disks.  Spread out batter so they are as flat as possible.  Avoid crowding so they don’t touch.  After brown on bottom, turn crisps.  When brown on both sides remove crisps to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.  Continue frying until all batter is used.  Serve immediately with Chutney.  Recipe follows.

Green-Tomato & Watermelon Chutney

Makes 2 cups

1 large firm green tomato, diced small (about 1 cup)

¾ cup ripe watermelon, rind removed, seeded, diced small

½ small yellow onion, peeled, diced small (about ¼ cup)

½ teaspoon hot chile pepper (jalepenos, serranos, etc), minced fine

Salt to taste

1 pinch sugar

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.  Serve at room temperature on top of Cumin-Garbanzo Crisps

Tres Hatch is the author of Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin,  & Sexy

Send Chef Tres your questions: tres@tresbonpublishing.com 

Treats are Our Friend

Chocolate Cake with Nutella Icing

Have you ever wanted to throw out all of the “junk food” in the kitchen, so it won’t be there to tempt you?  This is the thinking of fat people.  Consider the thin people you know.  Do they wage  war on the bag of chips in the pantry?  This act of determined restriction is misplaced and tends to produce temporary austerity followed by a glut of binge eating of the very foods we banned from the house.

If you want to be at peace with your body, free of weight issues, AND maintain an ideal weight reverse your belief that cookies are “bad” and recognize they have an important place in our overall level of satisfaction.  In order to enjoy a metabolism that rocks (and burns fat) you have to be balanced.  To become balanced we have to be fulfilled from ALL our food—including treats.  To become fulfilled we must give our bodies exactly what they need, which includes a small amount of quality treats.  There, I said it: treats are our friend.  Sure, we largely need a diet of plants (whole grain, veg, and fruit), but we also need some dairy, meat, fats, and…dessert.  Medically, a diabetic must observe restrictions from sugar and carbohydrates, but in general, we need the full monty--of food groups, that is.

You are invited to take this challenge:  over the next two days rate the treats you eat on a scale from 1-10 with ten indicating the most satisfying experience and one indicating the least satisfying.  Also pay attention to the time of day you eat the treat.  This exercise serves three purposes:

1.     It teaches us to tune in and assess our food for quality, freshness, flavor, and its worthiness
2.       It helps us discover what we REALLY like and what food is only mediocre
3.       It reveals the time of day when we get the most pleasure from our treats

Many coaching clients have reported this exercise revealed the difference between quality foods and stuff they used to eat out of habit that did not satisfy their genuine need for pleasure.  One client told me she no longer ate Tootsie Rolls because, “They are hard, overly sweet, and not at ALL chocolate-y.”  I asked her what she did like and she gushed about the “food-gasm” she had from a single square of very good dark chocolate.  

Another benefit of this challenge is most people found they prefer a treat in the afternoon, which eliminated the late night ice cream binges.  When we act upon our preferences, there is no need for discipline.  Clients learned they simply do not PREFER ice cream right before bed.  Instead, they have it guilt-free at 4:00 p.m.  To learn more about how to avoid overeating treats watch this two-minute Body Peace Coaching tip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWvSjtQsaKU&feature=plcp .  Click here to read more about overcoming compulsive eating: http://miraclepilltruths.blogspot.com/2012/06/how-to-stop-eating-when-you-are.html

 

The best result of this exercise it the habit it creates of tuning in and tasting food, instead of escaping while chewing.  By engaging the brain and staying present while eating we give our bodies the chance to talk back to us and tell us what we need, when we need it, and when we have had enough. 
  

After taking this challenge, please feel free to send feedback and share your discoveries by emailing me at: tres@tresbonpublishing.com.  I look forward to reading about your healthy new connections with your body.

Tres Hatch is the author of: Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy