5 Reasons Health-Minded People Eat Rhubarb!
There are five reasons rhubarb deserves serious consideration and health-minded folks know all about them:
- One serving size of rhubarb (half cup diced) contains 15 calories.
- One serving of rhubarb contains only 3 g of total carbohydrate.
- One serving of rhubarb has only 1 g of natural sugar.
- Rhubarb is rich in calcium, vitamins A and C, the B complex vitamins and vitamin K.
- Rhubarb is full of dietary fiber, so it’s filling and satisfying!
- Its crispy, juicy stalks can be used in the preparations of sauces, preserves, jellies, jams, syrups, sorbet, juice…etc.
- While rhubarb is best remembered for its delicious pies, it can be blended with other, sweeter fruits for a vitamin-C packed drink or smoothie.
- It can also be used in the preparation of tarts, puddings, crumbles, cobblers, pancakes, muffins, strudel...etc.
- www.foodal.com
- www.myjewishlearning.com
- www.barbarabakes.com
- www.lifessweetseasons.com
Its stalks also contain healthy levels of minerals like iron, copper, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. Add to the list the important facts that rhubarb research shows it protects against cancer and high cholesterol and is an anti-inflammatory food, and you have a power-house recipe for good eats (and plenty of immunity protection, I might add).
To prepare your stalks, trim the ends using a paring knife. Wash the stalks in cold running water, gently scrubbing the surface using your fingers. Cut the stalks into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces.
Don’t let the infamous tartness of this plant put you off. Combining it with strawberries and some stevia will tone it way down.
Rhubarb season coincides with strawberry season—one reason they’re often combined. Since both are almost upon us, here are some rhubarb serving tips:
And speaking of pie, the combination of strawberry and rhubarb is a favorite springtime pie filling. This flavor combination is also superb mixed into tapioca pudding, layered with vanilla pudding, or served warm over frozen yogurt.
But since I’ve been yammering about the importance of eating less or NO sugar (especially now with this Corona virus outbreak), combining rhubarb and strawberries into a compote is a better idea, and just as tasty, idea. This delicious recipe is perfect to eat for breakfast over waffles, Greek yogurt, or mixed with whipped cream and folded into hot, cooked oatmeal.
And by the way, are you familiar with the definition of compote? If not, it’s a dessert originating from medieval Europe, made of whole or pieces of fruit in sweetened syrup. Whole fruits are cooked in water with a sweetener and spices. If you kept cooking it down, it would eventually turn into a jam consistency.
I have lots of personal experience with rhubarb compote. Aunt Annie used to make strawberry rhubarb compote all the time, and we kids couldn’t get enough of it. So to conclude, here’s her recipe—one of our family favorites:
Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote
Yield: about 2 3/4 cups
Ingredients:
1 pound strawberries washed, hulled, and dried
1 pound rhubarb leaves removed and stalks washed
2 tablespoons raw honey OR 2 teaspoons Sweetleaf stevia powder (my favorite brand of stevia)
1 tablespoon water
Directions:
Hull strawberries and cut into quarters. Cut rhubarb in 2 inch slices. Combine compote ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil and gently simmer over medium-low heat until reduced and thickened and the fruit has softened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Sources:
Alice Osborne
DVO Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
