August 2021 Health Hotline® Magazine Issue 49

August 2021 Health Hotline® Magazine Issue 49 - Cover Image

Recipes

  • Vegan Grilled Banana Splits
  • Classic Stuffed Tomatoes

Articles

  • STOP Mental Decline in Its Tracks!
  • Smart, Happy Brains Need More Omega-3s
  • For the Love of Organics: Tomatoes
  • Earth Watch
 

Vegan Grilled Banana Splits

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Grilling brings out the sweetness of fruit and adds a subtle smokiness for a fun twist on a classic banana split. Instead of the traditional vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate ice cream, we’ve opted for all vanilla ice cream topped with grilled strawberries and pineapple and a homemade dairy-free hot fudge sauce.

For the dairy-free hot fudge sauce
1⁄4 cup Natural Grocers® Brand Organic Coconut Cream , (reserve coconut water and remaining coconut cream from can for another use)
1⁄4 cup Natural Grocers Brand Bulk Organic Coconut Sugar
1⁄4 cup Natural Grocers Brand Bulk Organic Cocoa Powder
2 teaspoons Natural Grocers Brand Organic Plant Based Buttery Spread or Stick
1⁄2 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
  Dash Natural Grocers Brand Bulk Real Salt
For the banana splits
2 tablespoons Natural Grocers Brand Organic Grade A Dark Maple Syrup
4 ripe but firm small organic bananas, remove stems and slice bananas in half lengthwise, leaving the skins on
1 pound organic strawberries, green tops removed and very large berries halved
1 small organic pineapple, cut into ½-inch slices or 1 (16-ounce) can organic pineapple slices, drained
Optional Toppings
  whipped topping
  ¼ -½ cup chopped Natural Grocers Brand Bulk Roasted Salted Virginia Peanuts or Organic Dry Roasted Salted Almonds
  Organic cherries

1. Make the fudge sauce by warming the coconut cream, sugar, and cocoa powder in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves and sauce is uniform. Reduce heat to warm and add the remaining sauce ingredients. Stir until the buttery spread is melted and fully incorporated. Keep the sauce warm while you finish the recipe or store in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours and reheat just before using.

2. Preheat the grill to high. Prep the fruit while the grill preheats. Pour the maple syrup into a shallow dish and lightly coat the cut side of the bananas and all sides of the strawberries and pineapple with the maple syrup. Once the grill is hot, scrub the grill grates and then reduce heat to medium. Place the bananas on the grill cut-side down and the strawberries and pineapple carefully on the grill so they don’t fall through. Grill for about 4 minutes, or until the fruit has nice grill marks. Flip the strawberries and pineapple and grill another 4 minutes. For firmer bananas, remove them from the grill; for softer bananas, flip and grill skin-side down for another two minutes.

3. Carefully peel the bananas and if desired, coarsely chop the strawberries and pineapple.

4. Put the banana splits together by placing two halves of banana on opposite sides of four serving bowls. Add two or three small scoops of ice cream to the middle of the bananas in each bowl. Top each bowl with the strawberries and pineapple, drizzle with hot fudge sauce, and add optional toppings of your choice. Enjoy immediately.

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Classic Stuffed Tomatoes (Tomatoes à la Provençale)

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Tomatoes à la Provençale is a wonderfully delicious dish that originates in Southern France. Made with vine-ripened tomatoes stuffed with a garlicky herb-breadcrumb mixture and roasted to perfection, this dish is scrumptiously satisfying, and the perfect side dish to accompany almost any main course.

2 large ripe but still firm organic tomatoes
1 teaspoon Natural Grocers® Brand Bulk Real Salt
1⁄4 teaspoon Natural Grocers Brand Bulk Organic Ground Black Pepper
1⁄2 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
2 cloves organic garlic, minced
1⁄4 cup chopped organic parsley
1 small organic shallot, minced (2-3 tablespoons); or use minced red onion in place of the shallot
1 teaspoon Natural Grocers Brand Bulk Organic Thyme Leaf
1⁄4 cup Natural Grocers Brand Organic Parmesan Cheese Shreds
2 tablespoons Natural Grocers Brand Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.

2. Wash and remove the core of each tomato and slice the tomatoes in half crosswise. Scoop the seeds out with a spoon or melon baller and sprinkle the tomato halves with salt and pepper. Note: When using smaller tomatoes, cut the lid off and core the tomatoes. Scoop the seeds out, skip cutting the tomatoes in half and follow the rest of the instructions to stuff the whole tomato.

3. Combine the breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, shallot (or onion), thyme, Parmesan cheese and any remaining salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Drizzle the olive oil over mixture and toss to combine.

4. Place the tomatoes in a baking dish and spoon the breadcrumb mixture to fill each tomato. Pack them firmly and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden and the tomatoes have softened but are still holding their shape. Let rest for five minutes before serving. 

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