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Your Daily Dose of Fruits and Veggies

07.20.16

What are some of the best in season fruits and vegetables to look out for? Our friends at Melissa’s Produce offer the best and the latest in produce and organics. They are a great resource for what’s in and hot for the season. Melissa's can make your life more tasty, healthy, and convenient every day. Here are the hot new fruits that you can look out for in local markets, or easily order online.

Turmeric is related to ginger and gives food a golden color and has a distinct peppery flavor. The root is peeled and grated or minced. Its flavor and vivid color add pizzazz to a variety of savory dishes. Use sparingly in rice and vegetable dishes, chutneys, curries and pickles. Try it in lemonade, too!

Kool Cabbage A conical-shaped member of the cabbage family, Kool Cabbage is sweeter than regular cabbage and requires less time to cook. The heads of this variety are not as tight as globe cabbage and the individual leaves are much softer in texture.
Kool Cabbage is best enjoyed cooked. After removing the center core, use the leaves in stir fry, steamed as a stand-alone side dish or grilled as a topping for steak or lamb chops.

Thanks to Melissa’s, you can enjoy authentic, restaurant-style spicy edamame at home! Delicious and ready-to-eat hot or cold, Melissa’s special recipe seasoned edamame is perfect for a quick snack, a savory appetizer, or party food for watching your favorite sport. Melissa’s Spicy Edamame is seasoned with a mix of favorite Asian flavors that include sesame, soy sauce, salt, ginger, and Togarashi seasoning. These seasonings enhance the flavor of edamame with a spicy and savory taste. The edamame is fully cooked ready-to-eat, and can be served cold straight out of the package. It is also delicious warmed up in the microwaveable bowl for 45 seconds.

The tangy taste of New Zealand Tamarillos is habit-forming. These tart, flavorful "tree-tomatoes" (as they are sometimes called) can be eaten fresh or cooked, once the smooth yet bitter skin has been removed. They are best when combined with sugar to reduce their natural tartness. The smooth crimson red or golden yellow egg-shaped fruit is pointed at both ends with a green stem. The skin is tough and the outer layer of the flesh is slightly firm. Inside are dark red to purple edible seeds that are slightly harder than those of a tomato. The surprising apricot-colored flesh and soft succulent pulp is remarkably juicy.
Their meaty flesh provides a quick, low-calorie snack (approximately 19 calories each) and is an excellent source of Vitamin C. Choose fragrant, heavy fruit that will yield to slight pressure when ripe. The glossy skin of the Tamarillo is often found in various shades of red, purple, amber and yellow but should be free of blemishes. Once ripened at room temperature, refrigerate for up to 10 days, tightly wrapped in plastic.

Radishes are now showing up in produce departments, and as a garnish in restaurants, in interesting and unexpected shapes and colors. The common cherry-red, marble-sized radishes we are used to have had to move over and make room for distant cousins that are green, black, multicolored, scarlet, round and white, long and white, heavy as a watermelon, or as thin as a finger.  Boasting attractive hues of pink, red, purple, violet, and white, the flesh of the appropriately named Easter egg radish is pure white. This radish variety offers an excellent interior quality that remains firm, crisp, and tender beyond their maturity. The taste of this radish is snappy and its blend of colors makes a lovely salad selection.

This elongated radish has a distinctive scarlet coloring with a tapered white tip. The French Breakfast radish is mild and sweet, without the sharp bite of a regular radish. Slice or grate into salads; include whole on vegetable platters to add a splash of color. The leaves are also edible. They can be cooked up like greens or added to salads for sweet, slightly peppery, flavor. Choose radishes that are not spongy. Green tops should be bright with no yellowing or wilting. Store radish whole in the home refrigerator for up to two weeks.

 

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Mendocino Farms in Brea

07.20.16

The chef-driven, farm-to-table sandwich shop, Mendocino Farms recently opened its 13th location at The Village at La Floresta in Brea. Mendocino Farms’ menu changes with the seasons, offers affordable prices, and it partners with local farms and food artisans to create inspired dishes. The family-friendly space has an inviting, spacious atmosphere with indoor and patio seating, a cornhole court, a kids’ play area with chalkboard walls and pint-size communal table, and a foosball table for all to enjoy.

Sandwich favorites and signature menu items include the Pork Belly Banh Mi, a play on the Vietnamese classic made with rich, caramelized Kurobuta Pork Belly, bright pickled daikon and carrots, and spicy fresh jalapeño on toasted ciabatta; the Not So Fried Chicken, a lighter version of a cold fried chicken sandwich with shaved free range chicken breast, Mendo’s krispies, herb aioli, and mustard pickle slaw served with a choice of warm house made barbeque sauce or Southern-style remoulade; and the Avocado Quinoa Ensalada, featuring Scarborough Farms butter lettuce and romaine, lacinato kale, quinoa and millet, black bean, roasted corn, and jicama succotash, red onions, cilantro, Cotija cheese, grape tomatoes, crispy tortilla strips, and avocado with chipotle vinaigrette.

Kids menu items include a PB&J with house made peanut butter and Strawberry Rhubarb Jam from Coldwater Canyon Provisions, served with a side of fresh fruit and a drink.

The fresh fare is complemented by a selection of local bottled craft beer and wine on tap including 21st Amendment "Down to Earth" Session IPA, Avery Liliko'i Kepolo Passionfruit Wit, and Don and Sons Pinot Noir.

The new Mendocino Farms is located next to Whole Foods Market and complements La Floresta’s eclectic dining lineup of favorite OC outposts including Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern, Urban Plates, Slapfish, and Capital Noodle Bar.

Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. for lunch and dinner daily.

3317 E. Imperial Highway in Brea. 949.783.2900.

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