Purple Peruvian potatoes, a delight at the
table. Photo by Mona Makela | IST.

Both chefs and nutritionists advise adding color to each meal. Chefs like brightly-colored foods for aesthetics as well as flavor; nutritionists like them for their powerful antioxidants, such as lycopene and anthocyanin.*

It doesn’t get more colorful than red: beets, bell peppers, cherries, chiles, cranberries, raspberries, red graperfruit, strawberries, tomatoes and watermelon are alluring to the eye as well as the palate.

The blue-purple group is equally appealing if much smaller, consisting largely of blueberries, blackberries and purple potatoes, also known as purple Peruvian potatoes† and blue potatoes.

Think of the different ways you can combine both shades. The recipe below combines red beets with purple potatoes for a delicious riot of color.

A BITE OF POTATO HISTORY

Potatoes originated in Peru. Millennia ago, they grew wild in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Along with many other varieties of potatoes, they were cultivated around 3,000 B.C.E. by the Incas.

Imagine European cuisine without potatoes! But there were none until the Spanish conquistadors reached the shores of Montezuma’s empire (modern-day Mexico) in 1519. Potatoes sailed back to Spain a few years later (see the history of potatoes).

The starch level is medium, so purple Peruvians are an all-purpose potato. They have a creamy texture and are rich in flavor. Try them baked, broiled, fried or mashed to add color and style to your meals. We turn them into a red, white and blue July 4th potato salad (with white potatoes and grape tomatoes); and make purple potato chips as a glamorous garnish to main courses.

Creamy and earthy-tasting (like russet potatoes), some varieties have a nutty flavor. The color is very dramatic, although some varieties become a lighter lavender shade after cooking.

Once a rarity, purple potatoes can now be found markets nationwide. There’s also a purple-fleshed “Okinawan” sweet potato, a staple in Hawaii. Look for it in Asian markets.

*These antioxidants may help with everything from fighting heart disease and prostate cancer to decreasing the risk of stroke and macular degeneration.
†Purple potatoes are now grown around the world.

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

 
Dressing Ingredients

1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Steam for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Let cool, then cut into bite-size pieces.

2. Whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl and toss with potatoes, beets and onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper; cover and chill for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

3. Just before serving, lightly toss arugula with potatoes. Sprinkle with walnuts and Parmesan.

Hungry for more?

Here’s another recipe: Peruvian Potatoes With Feta Sauce. It’s comfort food with a pinch of spice.
  

The original smoothie, or yogurt “milkshake,” was lassi, a chilled yogurt drink served savory or sweet, blended with fruit. In much of India, where every day can be hot, it’s a refreshing and nutritious drink.

You can make your own fruit lassi at home, using the blender technique (think of how easy you have it over blenderless households that need to use the ancient technique of puréeing the fruit and blending it in a bowl with a handheld utensil).

This video recipe shows how to make mango lassi (arguably the favorite flavor) with 1 large ripe mango, 1/3 cup plain yogurt, 1/3 cup cold milk and a 1/2 cup of ice, plus a pinch of salt for flavor contrast.

You can vary the fruit, add herbs and spices, and garnish as you wish with a piece of fruit on the rim, herbs (mint, basil) or a shake of cardamom, cinnamon or nutmeg.

SECOND LASSI RECIPE: YOUR FAVORITE FRUIT LASSI

Ingredients

Makes two portions.

 
Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender carafe and blend.

2. Garnish as desired and serve.
 
Keep these recipes on hand for the next hot day!

Your pots won’t boil over with the Spill
Stopper silicone pot lid. Photo courtesy
Kuhn Rikon.

Kuhn Rikon has solved the problem with its silicone Spill Stopper. Use it instead of the regular pot lid. Any liquid that boils up sits in the shallow bowl of the Spill Stopper, waiting for you to turn down the heat.

Microwave and dishwasher safe, the Spill Stopper comes in a choice of three colors—green, red and purple—and two sizes, 10-inches and 12-inches.

You can pick one up wherever Kuhn Rikon products are sold (try Sur La Table), or online at Amazon. The 10-inch Spill Stopper is $24.95, the 12-inch version is $29.95.

If that sounds like more than you want to spend, think of this: No more messy, boiled-over clean-ups.

That’s why we’re delighted that Lipton has launched its Tea & Honey To Go packets. This new line of iced tea mixes contains natural honey, real tea leaves and real fruit flavors.

Wherever you can find a glass of water—or fill your water bottle—you can have a refreshing glass of iced tea for just 5 calories per eight ounces. The packets themselves weigh nothing and can be carried in a pocket. So today’s tip is: Consider the convenience of to-go packets to make instant drinks from water.

These Lipton Tea & Honey iced green tea drink mixes include:

 
The mixes also come in pitcher-size packets.

And the except for sucralose, the mixes are all natural.* The ingredients include honey granules,† citric acid, green tea powder, maltodextrin,‡ natural flavor and color.

The products are hitting stores now nationwide. You can get a free samples when you like Lipton on Facebook, while supplies last.

*Although sucralose is made from sugar, the sugar molecule is chemically modified, which classifies it as an artificial sweetener.

†Honey granules are pure honey, dried and cut, with no additives, into pinhead-size pieces. You can buy them online.

‡Maltodextrin is a starch filler made from natural corn, rice or potato starch. It is a white powder used as a thickener or a filler without altering flavor. It’s in artificial sweetener packets, for example, because the very few grains of aspartame or sucralose required as a sweetener wouldn’t fill a packet.

1. 5 Calorie Fruit Flavor. The added honey neutralizes the sucralose flavor. The drinks are sweet and fruity, for just 5 calories per eight-ounce cup/10 calories per bottle.

2. Instant Drink. Open the packet, add to water and stir or shake. How easy is that?

3. Sustainability. Keep reusing the same water bottle, save the landfill from empties.

4. Price . At $3.29 for 10 packets (prices will vary), you can enjoy fruity ice tea for 32¢ a bottle instead of buying a ready-made drink for $1.79.

We see many products launched that aren’t really needed. We do need

Honey, Tea & Lady Antebellum

You can also enter the brand’s Drink Positive Sweepstakes with Lady Antebellum on Facebook, for the chance to win a visit with the band in Nashville and exclusive live music downloads. There’s also a series of Lady Antebellum’s behind-the-tour webisodes.

We were Lipton’s guest at the Lady Antebellum concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Great group, great evening and lots of great Lipton Tea & Honey.

Here are some tips from Lauren Chattman, author of one of our favorite baking books, The Baking Answer Book (for $9.73 on Amazon.com, a great small gift or stocking stuffer).

1. DON’T OVERWHIP. Because of the protein structure of egg whites, it’s crucial, says Chattman, not to overwhip the whites. Overwhipping separates the water molecules from the egg whites, rendering them less capable of expanding (rising).

2. USE AN ABSOLUTELY CLEAN BOWL AND BEATERS. Even a speck of grease or oil in the bowl or on the beaters can spell disaster. It will prevent the strands of egg white protein from linking up with each other to create the foam that traps the air bubbles needed for the recipe to rise.

3. SEPARATE THE WHITES INTO SEPARATE BOWLS. When cracking the egg, don’t use the one handed technique. A speck of egg yolk that sneaks in with the whites creates the same problem as oil. Instead, first separate the egg whites into a small bowl or cup. If some yolk ends up with the whites, don’t fish it out; use that egg for another purpose (scrambled, perhaps?). Wash and dry the bowl thoroughly, and start again.

4. ADD THE EGG WHITES ONE AT A TIME. Avoid the problem above by separating each egg into a small bowl or cup; then add it to the mixing bowl before separating the next egg. This way, if you end up with some yolk with your white, only one egg is impacted.

5. USE ROOM TEMPERATURE EGGS. The coiled proteins in egg whites are more relaxed at room temperature. You can whip cold eggs from the fridge, but it will take more time to achieve the volume.

6. DON’T USE VERY FRESH, EGGS. Most of us don’t have access to freshly-laid eggs. But contrary to what you might think, just-laid eggs are not the best for whipping whites. Eggs need to be 3-4 days old so their coiled proteins will relax for optimal whipping.

Now that you’ve got the technique, make this delicious key lime meringue pie.

Need an egg separator? Here’s a very spiffy one.