 For Living Heart Healthy!
Spring is an exciting time as the garden awakens from winter hibernation. It can also, however, be a bit overwhelming to know how to prioritize your gardening this time of year.
Here is a helpful list of items that should be tended to in the spring.
- For early blooming shrubs such as forsythia and viburnum, prune as soon as blooms have passed. Early spring is also an ideal time to prune your roses.
- Pull weeds from your beds and borders before they take hold and spread.
- Tend to your compost, if it has been neglected over the winter. If you do not have a compost bin, spring is a great time to start.
- Prepare your tools for the gardening season and make any necessary repairs or new purchases.
- Sort garden chemicals and discard all of the outdated or unused chemicals according to label instructions. Check the lock on your chemical storage area to assure children or pets have no access.
- Add new plants to your garden. Be sure, however, that all threat of frost has past. Plant such things as trees, shrubs, hardy annuals, and summer blooming bulbs.
- Fertilize and mulch beds and borders and fruit trees. If you applied heavy winter mulch for protection from the cold, you will need to clear it away.
- Stake plants that may be prone to wind damage during the unpredictable spring weather.
- Spring is the best time to start a new lawn from seed. For established lawns, you should start mowing in the spring, but don’t cut the grass very short the first few times.
TURKEY BURGER
INGREDIENTS
- 3 slices of whole-wheat bread, torn
- ½ cup fat-free milk
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1½ pounds lean ground turkey
- 6 whole-wheat burger buns
- 6 lettuce leaves
- 6 slices of tomato
PREPARATION
Soak bread in ½ cup of milk for 1 minute. Add garlic, mustard, salt and pepper. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well. Shape into six patties and grill, covered, over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side. Serve on buns with lettuce & tomato.
Do you have a healthy refrigerator?
Take stock of what’s inside and make sure you have more low-fat, high-fiber and low sugar foods. Replace dressings, condiments and sauces with low-fat
or fat free versions.
Searching for Southern cuisine with a continental flair? Then try the
restaurant Aikenites savor and adore – Davor’s CafĂ©. Nestled on The Alley in downtown Aiken, Davor’s CafĂ© offers an eclectic mix of delicacies for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Davor’s fans cherish their rich sauces and divine desserts, yet heart-healthy dishes, such as their Lamb Salad, are equally as tempting.
“Lean cuts of lamb can be part of a heart-healthy diet,” said Heidi Sklizovic, co-owner of Davor’s Café with her husband and the café’s namesake Davor Sklizovic. “Serve smaller portions, 4 oz. or less, and make it an ingredient in the meal, not the main component.”
Lamb Salad with Peach, Plum and Fennel
- 1 medium fennel bulb, quartered, cored and trimmed
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 ts kosher salt
- 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
- 2 ts minced fresh marjoram
- 1-pound butterflied leg of lamb, fat trimmed
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ripe plums
- 1 large ripe peach
- 8 cups mixed salad greens
Position a rack 6 inches from the broiler and preheat. Thinly slice the fennel lengthwise using a mandoline if you have one. Soak the cut fennel in a bowl of very cold water. Smash the garlic cloves, sprinkle with the 1-teaspoon salt, and, with the flat side of a large knife, mash and smear the mixture into a coarse paste. Stir the garlic, marjoram and olive oil together and rub all over the lamb. Season with pepper to taste. Place the lamb, trimmed-side down, on a broiler pan. Broil the meat until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook until an instant thermometer reads 120° F, another 2-3minutes.
Set meat aside to rest while preparing the salad.
Pit and cut the plums and peach into chunks with their skins. Toss fruit in a salad bowl with the salad greens. Drain and pat the fennel dry, add to the salad.
Thinly slice the lamb against the grain into bite-sized pieces, and add that to the salad as well. Season salad with the salt and pepper, toss with the dressing and divide evenly among 4 plates and serve.
Sherry Dressing
- 2 TB aged sherry wine vinegar
- 2 ts whole-grain mustard
- 1 ts kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4-cup extra-virgin olive oil
Whisk the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Gradually mix in the oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream, to make a smooth, slightly thick dressing.
Recipe courtesy of Davor’s Café (803) 641-1909
227 The Alley, Aiken, SC
Are you fishing around for something healthy to eat?
Try seafood once or twice a week. It increases healthy omega-3 fatty acids and decreases your risk for heart disease.
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