Veggies with BowTie Pasta

A versatile dish that can be served alone with crusty bread or a fruit salad is Veggies with BowTie Pasta. If you have meat eaters in your family, consider a lean cut of meat for a lighter meal with fewer calories. Look to Dana’s blog on May 11th for tips and hints on adding protein to your dish without drying it out.

What makes this dish so versatile is the assortment of vegetables you can add to it. I change up the vegetables on a regular basis and it looks like a completely different meal. If you are short on time during the week, think about cutting up the vegetables and preparing your pasta ahead of time. Then when you get home, all you have to do is assemble the dish and sauté the vegetables, thus adding vegetables to your dinner table and making it a nutrient rich meal.

Safe Handling Tips for Vegetables and Fruits:
Each year, people get sick from foods that have not been properly handled, refrigerated, or cooked. If food is not handled properly, germs can grow to levels that make people sick.

Providing consumers with safe, wholesome fruits and vegetables is the first priority of farmers and produce managers. Fruits and vegetables can pick up dust and soil as they are being harvested, handled, packed, and shipped. They may also have trace amounts of chemicals and bacteria on the outer tissues that can be removed by washing. Consumers play an important role in making sure the food they eat is good for them and their families.

At the store: Look for fresh-looking fruits and vegetables that are not bruised, shriveled, moldy, or slimy. Do not purchase anything that smells bad, and do not buy packaged vegetables that look slimy. Remember, if it’s not in great shape at the store, you cannot make it any better!

Buy only what you need that can be used within a few days. Apples, potatoes, and citrus fruits can be stored longer. Handle produce gently at the store. Keep produce on top in the cart (putting groceries on top of produce can bruise it).

At home: Put produce away promptly. Keep most of your produce in the crisper. It has a slightly higher humidity than the rest of the refrigerator, which is better for fruits and vegetables. Throw away any produce that has been kept too long, or if it is moldy or slimy. Remember to keep all cut fruits and vegetables covered in the refrigerator.

Germs can adhere to the surface of produce and can be passed to the flesh when cut (cross contamination). The most important thing you can do is wash all fruits and vegetables in clean drinking water before eating, even if you do not plan to eat the skin, such as melons or oranges. Wash the produce just before you plan to use it, not when you put it away. However, lettuce can be rinsed before refrigerating to help maintain crispness. Washing in slightly warm water (not HOT) brings out the flavor and aroma of the fruit or vegetable you are preparing.

Temperature: All firm fruits and vegetables, such as apples, pears, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and avocados, should be washed in water between 80 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spraying: The best method for washing ripe or fragile berry fruits--strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries--is by spraying with a kitchen sink sprayer. Use a colander so you can gently turn the fruit as you spray.

Immersion: If you do not have a sink sprayer, berries and soft fruit should be placed in a wire basket or colander and then into a 5 to 8 quart pot of warm water. Move the basket in and out of the water several times. Change the water until the water remains clear. Do this process quickly. If the fruit absorbs too much water, it will lose flavor, texture, and aroma.

Dry: Dry with a paper towel. Greens, such as spinach, chard, kale, and collards should be cooked while wet, immediately after washing.

Cold Water Washing: Produce used in salads, such as lettuce, radishes, carrots, etc., should be washed in the coldest tap water available to maintain crispness. To get maximum crispness, immerse the greens in a mixture of ice cubes and water about a half-hour before serving.

Do not use detergent when washing fruits and vegetables. The detergent residues will be left on the fruits and vegetables. Produce items are porous and will absorb the detergent. The Food and Drug Administration has not labeled detergent to be used on foods.

In addition to washing, you should:

• Peel and discard outer leaves or rinds. Scrub hearty vegetables, such as potatoes and carrots, if you want to eat the fiber and nutrient rich skin.
• Clean surfaces, utensils, and hands after touching raw meat and poultry and before you use them on fresh produce.
• Keep refrigerators clean and cold (under 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover and refrigerate produce you have cut.
• Wash your hands thoroughly after using the toilet or changing diapers, and before preparing food.
• Read and follow label instructions such as "Keep Refrigerated" or "Use By" (a certain date).
• Keep prepared fruit salads or other cut produce items in the refrigerator until just before serving. Discard cut produce items if they have been out of the refrigerator for more than four hours.

Enjoy Dinner Tonight!
Dee Lee