Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Pears: The Other Ripe Fruit

This week is going to be a quick one, I am certain. I can't believe it's more than half way over already. Thank you 3 day weekends! :)

We are also in store for some pretty damper weather with rain and cold temperatures in the forecast over the next few days. These kind of days only make me want to curl up in a big cozy blanket and stay there until I see the sun again. Me and the cold do not get along.

There has been so much excitement these days on the reappearance of the beloved Honeycrisp Apple. Now, I too, am a tremendous aficionada of this Fall delight and find myself chomping away daily on these babies. In my opinion, no other apple can compare to the sweet crisp that the Honeycrisp delivers.

As much as I adore these apples, I have also been exploring the close relatives of some more in season fruits.

Pears!


Pears are so underrated. Why doesn't anyone talk about pears anymore? Well, I'm breaking the silence and highlighting this orchard fruit today!

A close relative of the apple, pears not only provide an excellent source of dietary fiber, one medium fruit has covers more than 20% your daily need and only knocks out 100 calories. They're also a good source of vitamins C and K. Some of the most popular varieties are the juicy and sweet Bartlett (green), firm and crunchy Bosc (brown) and the sweet Anjou (green or red). Choose pears that are free of blemishes and dents. Eat ones that are ripe and soft immediately or store them in the refrigerator for up to three to five days. You can keep firm, unripe pears at room temperature as they ripen.

Some great ways that I have been enjoying pears….

1. Sliced in a sammie
2. In a mixed green salad with dried cranberries and walnuts
3. Baked into oats and breads
4. Baked with granola and dried fruit with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delicious dessert
5. And of course, morning yogurt bowls

Here is how I enjoyed a pear for breakfast this morning.


I diced a Anjou red pear, sprinkled it with a little cinnamon and microwaved for about a minute. To my bowl, I added Kashi Harvest Wheat, Flax, Honey Oikos yogurt, drizzle of honey almond butter and sprinkle of granola.

Mmmm, mmmm great! I really enjoyed the softness of the pear and its delicate sweetness.

I encourage you to give pears a chance this season. The apple is classic, but don't forget about the other great flavors of fruit during the Fall.



And before I go, today is Wednesday as my hubby so dearly reminded me. And Wednesdays only mean one thing for us...

BFD (To you new readers out there, that is Breakfast For Dinner and this occurs on a weekly basis in our home. We pretty much live for this tradition)

Tonight was an "egg"cellent Egg Sammy BFD

Egg white mixed with dijon and pesto, sliced avocado, wilted spinach, goat cheese and pumpkin butter on a cinnamon raisin engligh muffin.

An indescribable array of flavors going on here. My all time favorite egg sammie, hands down!

With butternut squash home fries.


B.E.C (Bacon Egg Cheese) for hubby.


If only everything in life could be this good! :)
Well, I'm all out of things to say, so until next time friends.
Night!

14 comments:

  1. pears are terrific - i like them firm and not too sweet and my hubby thinks i'm mad.

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  2. Pears are so good! You should try making a mash with them and bananas + cinnamon = muy delicioso! Guaranteed.

    I'm going to e-mail the people at Zoe's Food and ask them what the deal is. We must get to the bottom of this mwahaha. I haven't checked to see if the stores around Richmond if they carry them. I'll check while I'm down here in FL. Which ones are your favorite flavors? OR do you like them all? :D

    p.s. b-nut squash homefries!! That sounds reaaaally good.

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  3. I'm eating a pear right now! Haha! They are also good in sandwiches, I think!

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  4. Yess! Thank you for talking about pears :) I love them. I read somewhere that they are the most fiberous fruit. I like 'em when they get all ripe and soft inside :)

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  5. Love pears! I picked them for BSI when I hosted!!! Love BFD night wahooo! I think we're doing it tonight. Glad you week is going by quickly. I hate the cold too- makes me want to drink coffee and hot cocoa all day long

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  6. I've been baking with pear puree a lot lately.

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  7. OMG - your BFD looks incredible!! I bet it tasted to good with that pumpking butter - what an imaginative combo. I just love it!

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  8. Love pears! YUM! Hope you're having a good week darlin'!

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  9. Pears are good. I adore them when in a dessert. Love.

    Oh girlfriend. As usual your dinners make my mouth water. Promise me you'll have me over for dinner some night! ;)

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  10. you're so right, pears are underrated, apples take all the fall glory! i picked some up the other weekend as well, they were sooo deelish... love the ideas on how to enjoy them, yum!

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  11. 3 day weekend?! lucky girl. i agree, pears don't get enough credit. they are SO SO SO good! i love them both savory and sweet. so good paired with some avocado and turkey, sounds weird but it is good! love your BFD! xoxo

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  12. Don't you love how long weekends make the workweek FLY!? It's great!! Enjoy it :)

    I've never been into pears for some reason but you're making me want one! That BFD looks lovely, the butternut squash home fries = YUM!

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  13. I think it's SOOOO cute that you and your hubby have breakfast for dinner night. *sigh* I need to get my boyfriend into that ritual...nothing like comfort food for dinner. I also think that having a dinner like yours really helps the proposition. hahaha I'd love to eat your sammie at night! yummm!!

    I totally agree with you. Pears are totally under-hyped!! I was planning on making a pb&j with sliced caramelized pears tomorrow! :) Just an idea!!

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