Healthy Fruit Snack - Oranges with Sugar - Real Italian Kitchen

One of my favorite snacks growing up was fruit with sugar. We didn't have a lot of money so my mom had to improvise and I'll be honest, I loved it!
This is a great alternative for those children (and adults) who don't like to eat fruit as it is, the sugar really makes it taste like juicy candy!


So here are my sugary Orange Flowers. I pealed an orange and sliced it horizontally, make sure you take the white pit out of the middle because it doesn't taste very good. I used white cane sugar to coat the oranges with.

Mouth watering. Love it.

Enjoy!

Valentina
RealItalianKitchen

Meal Substitution: Smoothie Recipe: Pears, Bananas and Clementines

This is a great recipe that uses fruits that are particular of the fall and winter season in the part of world where I live. The bananas I used were imported, and I know I shouldn't buy imported fruits but these were organic and fair trade, at very least.

Ingredients for one big glass: 

1 banana (not too ripe, not too brown)
1 big juicy pear or two small ones
3 clementines
1/2 lemon

Utensils:

Knife, cutting board, blender. This below is the blender by Black and Decker that I use, it's cheap and never lets me down. Christmas is coming...!


1. Peal the pear, half it and get rid of the core. Mine was so juicy I had to do this over the sink! Put it in the blender.
2. Peal the banana, cut in a few pieces, throw it in the blender.
3. Juice the clementines separately and then add the juice in the blender, or if you're lazy like me and don't want to get another utensil dirty, squeeze them directly in the blender, you can help yourself with a fork.
4. Add a few ice cubes if your fruit wasn't in the fridge.

Use the "pulse" cycle and then the "liquefy" cycle. If you're clementines are tart you might want to add some agave nectar or your favorite sweetener.

Enjoy!

Valentina
RealItalianKitchen

How to make Italian Style Grilled Vegetables

Last night I had a dream I was Woody Allen's chef and I was making him Grilled Vegetables for Memorial Day... 

I'm always very happy to go to barbecues and find a side of vegetables. Salads are fine, but you need a fork to eat that. Grilled vegetables can be eaten with you hands and are a great addition to a burger. They also make a great side if you're having steak or fish.

For 2 people: 1 Zucchini, 1 Eggplant, 1 Pepper

What's good on the grill? 
Peppers
Eggplant
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Onions
Tomatoes
Asparagus

For 2 people:
1 Zucchini
1 small Eggplant
1 Pepper
(see picture)





Prepare the vegetables
1. Rinse all the veggies.

2. Peppers: cut them in half, cut out the seeds inside and the white lining of the vegetable. Cut in even strips.
Zucchini: cut in long strips, a little on the thick side especially if they're going on an outdoor grill.
Eggplant: you can eat the skin but I like mine pealed. Cut "circles" out of it (like the picture) or cut through the length of it if it's a thin eggplant.
Tomatoes and Onions: start cutting circles from the "bottom"
Asparagus: leave it whole.

3. Season with oil and salt BEFORE they go on the grill.

Grill it!
Put it on the grill and once the griddle has made convincing marks on one side, turn them. On a medium hot grill about 5 minutes per side. Don't burn them.

Enjoy!
Valentina
Real Italian Kitchen

Meal Substitution: Smoothie Recipe: Papaya, Banana & Frozen Yogurt

It's been a couple of very busy weeks for me but I'm glad that the moment I start writing my food blog again is when the temperature starts rising..!

The first thing I did on the first day of extreme heat (yesterday 30 degrees Celsius!) was make myself a delicious smoothie.

Smoothies are a great way of eating fresh fruit, there are many different combinations you can try, they are so nutritious sometimes they can even substitute a meal.

This recipe is very sweet, for all those people that want a healthy sweet dessert, but can't have any...

For 2 people:
1/2 Papaya (mine was gigantic, use a whole one if you can find a small one)
1 Banana
3 scoops of frozen yogurt

Throw everything in the blender, liquefy it, and let the heathy snacking begin!

The frozen yogurt makes it kind of heavy in texture: to make it a little more liquid use milk or almond milk or soy milk.

Enjoy!
Valentina
RealItalianKitchen
(new video coming up soon!)