S2 Ep928: St. Pete Eats w/Wendy Wesley: How To Store Produce & Healthy Recipe

In this episode of St. Pete Eats, host Wendy Wesley talks about how to store produce for maximum freshness in your refrigerator. Some of her tips? Keep your produce intact on the stem or stalk until ready to use, looking as much as it did when it came out of the ground or off the tree/vine/plant. This means that broccoli stays of the stalk and this pepper stays intact with seeds and stem. It also means bananas stay connected, leaves stay on the berries, lettuces stay on the stalk and grapes stay on the vine. Store them in a "vegetable humidor" which is a plastic box or bag with a wet napkin or paper towel stuffed inside. This creates a humid rainforest environment that produce loves!
RECIPE Garlicky Greek Tzatziki
2 cups whole milk plain, whole fat unsweetened yogurt
1 medium unpeeled cucumber, shredded and water squeezed out
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
½ - whole bell pepper, chopped (can use red, orange, yellow green)
3-4 chopped green onions (all parts)
1 tsp salt and pepper, each
Instructions: Mix all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate. The longer it sits the more potent it becomes. Serve with grilled meats, poultry, fish and vegetables. Great on your burger or as a baked potato topping. Also makes a great dip with pita bread or vegetable dippers. Keep refrigerated for 1 week.

RECIPE: Easy Chia Pudding with a Florida twist.
Behold the humble chia seed and its incredible nutrition for a small volume of 2 tablespoons. Protein: 4.7 g, fat 8.7 g (omega-3s included), calories: 138 (that's low) and 9.8 grams of fiber (that's high).  Do not overlook seeds when choosing foods. They're packed with incredible nutrition and they are inexpensive. Please get off that protein powder/bar/bite/supplement junk and get your protein from real food. 
Here's an easy recipe with a Florida twist: mangoes. Gorgeous, high fiber mangos are in season right now (May through August) in our beautiful state so eat locally and more environmentally by choosing produce grown in our state. 
Easy Chia Pudding
2 tablespoons chia seeds
½ cup unsweetened dairy or plant-based milk like almond or cashew milk
1 tablespoon honey
Add-ins: chopped nuts, raisins, berries, flax seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger
Place all ingredients except add-ins in a jar or bowl and mix well. Wait 2 – 3 minutes and mix again to remove lumps. Cover the jar or bowl and store in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight. Top with your favorite add-ins and enjoy cold.

ABOUT WENDY WESLEY Wesley is an award-winning registered and licensed dietitian/nutritionist who works to improve the health of the community. Her articles, interviews, cooking lessons and recipes have been featured in the Washington Post, ABC News Worldwide, The San Francisco Chronicle, Tampa Bay Times, Reader's Digest and every media outlet in Tampa Bay. Her specialties include budget-friendly home cooking, unprocessed food meal plans and menopause health. In her St. Pete Eats podcast, Wendy connects listeners with gardeners, farmers, chefs, food pantries and food policy throughout the sunshine city. Wendy Wesley, RDN  727-823-0393
www.WendyWesleyNutrition.com
www.StPeteCookingSchool.com

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