Food for Thought: How to select the best fish

Tip of the Week: Pick fresh fish

The wood grilling specialists at Bonefish Grill offer these tips to help you select the best fish:

- Always seek the freshest fish in your local area. Ask your fish market or grocery if they receive their fish daily or what frozen options they recommend, and which selections.

- Ask about the origin of the fish you're buying, and make sure it has been stored at about 28 degrees Fahrenheit at all times, no matter where it came from.

- If a fish smells "fishy," don't buy it and don't eat it. Look for shiny skin and undamaged scales. Press firmly on the skin and make sure the fish regains its original shape quickly. Whole fish should have clear eyes, not cloudy.

-- ARA

Easy recipe: Papaya Boats

Ingredients:

2 ripe papayas
1 cup (11 ounces) Mandarin oranges, drained
1 banana (small and ripe), sliced
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries
3/4 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint

Directions:

Cut papayas in half lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Place oranges, banana, kiwi and berries in each papaya half. Combine yogurt and mint; mix well and spoon over fruit before serving. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired. Serves 4.

-- www.cdc.gov

Did You Know?

An asparagus stalk is among the nominations for a new mascot at The College of William and Mary in Virginia.

Food in the News: Milk as part of weight management

New research finds drinking fat-free milk rather than a fruit drink at breakfast helps you feel fuller and eat less at lunchtime.

Researchers in Australia found that the milk drinkers ate about 50 fewer calories (or nearly 9 percent less food) at lunch. They suspect that milk's protein content (providing 16 percent of the daily value per cup), the lactose (the natural sugar in milk) or simply the thickness of the beverage may play a role in the satiety benefits.

Research suggests choosing foods that can help enhance satiety is an important success factor in any weight management plan.

-- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Wise to the Word: Smelt

This small, silver fish is about 6 to 10 inches long, and has delicate oily flesh with a distinctive odor and taste. They are often fried and eaten whole.

Smelt roe is orange in color, and is often used to garnish sushi.

Food Quiz

Which was the original monster cereal produced by General Mills in the 1970s?

A. Frankenberry
B. Fruit Brute
C. Boo Berry
D. Count Chocula

(www.funtrivia.com)

Answer is at bottom of column

Number to Know: 128.6

Calories in one small box (1.5 ounces) of seedless raisins. – calorielab.com

The Dish On …

“Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For - From Asparagus Omelets to Pumpkin Pancakes” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Omelets. French toast. Bacon. Brunch has always been about comfort, calories — and for vegans everywhere, a feast of foods they can’t touch. Until now.

Bestselling vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz unleashes her signature flair and ingenuity to give readers breakfast they won’t find anywhere else. Recipes range from the classic (pancakes and waffles) to the inspired (banana rabanada) to the decadent (pain au chocolat) to the essential (Bloody Marys).

The book also includes gluten-free and soy-free recipes.

From the Beer Nut’s Blog

Once I took the first smell of Dogfish Head’s newest imperial IPA, Squall, I knew I was in for a treat.

I could practically feel the hops in my nose, the aroma was so strong coming out of my Dogfish Head snifter. It was fantastic, reminiscent to how a fresh 90 Minute IPA smells on draft.

The taste was phenomenal. The hops were dominant, particularly Cascade, but there was a mellow sweetness just under the bitterness, giving this 9 percent ABV beer just enough of a malt backbone to provide a nice balance.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give this a 9.

To read more from the Beer Nut, visit http://blogs.townonline.com/beernut/

Food Quiz Answer

D. Count Chocula. Count Chocula and Frankenberry were both introduced in 1971, but Count Chocula was the first.

GateHouse News Service