Spring – The Pear Dish https://usapears.org/blog A blog about our favorite fruit, USA Pears! Mon, 24 Sep 2018 23:52:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.25 Pulled Pork and Pear Tacos with Pear Pico de Gallo https://usapears.org/blog/pulled-pork-and-pear-tacos-with-pear-pico-de-gallo/ Tue, 15 May 2018 15:02:04 +0000 http://usapears.org/blog/?p=5051 Time for a taco party! In this festive recipe, pears appear in two ways: braised with pork shoulder to create depth and sweetness for a juicy, shredded taco filling, and also mixed into a zesty pear and jicama pico de gallo for topping. There will be plenty of the flavorful slow-cooked meat to feed a crowd, and any leftovers can be frozen for quick taco making for future weeknight dinners. Serve with margaritas and chips and salsa to round out the menu. Ingredients: 3 1/2 pounds pork shoulder (pork butt) 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon chile powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 large ripe USA Pears, peeled and chopped 1 small white onion, finely chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems 4 canned chipotle chiles with a Continue reading →

The post Pulled Pork and Pear Tacos with Pear Pico de Gallo appeared first on The Pear Dish.

]]> 5 Tips for Plant-Powering Your Eating Style https://usapears.org/blog/5-tips-for-plant-powering-your-eating-style/ Wed, 18 Apr 2018 15:13:13 +0000 http://usapears.org/blog/?p=5034 Plant-based eating is hot, hot, hot! More and more people are turning away from the traditional American plate – with a slab of meat at the center – towards a gorgeous, colorful, plant-centric plate filled with pulses (beans, lentils, peas), whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. No wonder this eating style is catching on—it’s downright delicious! From a whole grain bowl filled with chickpeas, pears and sunflower seeds, to a homemade veggie burger with avocado slices, there are so many delicious offerings. A plant-based diet doesn’t mean that you have to give up meat altogether if you don’t want to; it just means that your diet focuses mostly on plants. This flexitarian eating style is linked with a boatload of benefits, such as lower risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer and obesity, as well Continue reading →

The post 5 Tips for Plant-Powering Your Eating Style appeared first on The Pear Dish.

]]> 5 Pear Salads To Freshen Up Your Spring https://usapears.org/blog/5-pear-salads-to-freshen-up-your-spring/ Tue, 03 Apr 2018 14:46:19 +0000 http://usapears.org/blog/?p=5014 When you think of spring, what comes to mind? Nourishment, freshness and rejuvenation may all describe it, and not just the season but also your diet and lifestyle. If you’re the type who hibernates all winter, then spring is ideal from coming out of your shell and embracing healthy choices and better eating habits before summer hits. Besides their sweetness, pears make a great addition to salads as a way to elevate the nutritional value of the dish. One medium-sized pear packs 6 grams of fiber and contains zero sodium, fat or cholesterol, so you get all of the flavor and texture without the unhealthiness. Plus, when it comes salads, there are endless pear-ssibilities! We recommend kicking off spring with these five flavorful pear salads to suit any occasion. 1. Grilled and Fresh Pear Salad with Chile Oil and Togarashi Try Continue reading →

The post 5 Pear Salads To Freshen Up Your Spring appeared first on The Pear Dish.

]]> 3 Simple Ways to Spring Clean Your Diet https://usapears.org/blog/3-simple-ways-to-spring-clean-your-diet/ Tue, 20 Mar 2018 14:04:10 +0000 http://usapears.org/blog/?p=5006 They say that summer bodies are made during the winter. If that’s the case, what happens during spring? For many of us, when spring has finally sprung, crunch time inevitably has as well. Say goodbye to wintertime excuses and say hello to a version of yourself that looks and feels the way that you want to. Spring is a time of renewal and growth, after all! To start summer with a clean slate, it’s crucial to look at what you put on your plate. Here are 3 ways to do so: 1. Fiber up – When it comes to cleaning up their diets, most people focus on what they can’t have, rather than what they can have. This notion of deprivation can make eating healthily seem, well, dreadful and depressing. Fear not: clean eating need NOT involve deprivation, dread, or depression. One of the most simple, enjoyable, and effective ways to make healthy and sustainable lifestyle changes actually comes down to adding MORE to your diet—adding more fiber, that is. A diet rich Continue reading →

The post 3 Simple Ways to Spring Clean Your Diet appeared first on The Pear Dish.

]]> Grilled Stuffed Pears https://usapears.org/blog/grilled-stuffed-pears/ Tue, 13 Jun 2017 16:36:30 +0000 http://blog.usapears.org/?p=4690 When it comes to summer grilling, pears are often overlooked. But the fact is their hardy texture is ideal for standing up to the intensity of the grill, and as they cook, their delicious flavor is enhanced by the smoky flames. Grilled pears can be prepared in both sweet and savory ways: think grilled pear halves topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert, or sliced grilled pears tossed in a summery salad. Here they are cooked on the grill until just tender and juicy, with a quinoa salad stuffing that evokes flavors of the Mediterranean. Extra-virgin olive oil, Spanish-style chorizo, and fresh mint add a bold, summertime flare, while white balsamic vinegar adds a sweet, fruity tang to complement the flavors found in the grilled pears. Serve these at your next backyard barbecue, for an outside-the-box appetizer Continue reading →

The post Grilled Stuffed Pears appeared first on The Pear Dish.

]]> Be empowered to shift your perspective around food and your body! https://usapears.org/blog/be-empowered-to-shift-your-perspective-around-food-and-your-body/ Thu, 08 Jun 2017 21:06:39 +0000 http://blog.usapears.org/?p=4683 As the summer months quickly approach, the buzz around diets and weight loss become more and more prevalent. This summer, try shifting your focus from deprivation and that elusive “bikini body,” which you already possess, and take the opportunity to slow down. It’s so easy to get caught up in the “shoulds” and “wants” that you may forget to glorify the little things that make your life rich on a day-to-day basis. Be empowered to shift your perspective around food and your body! When you breathe, slow down and harness food gratitude, you’ll be pleased to learn that eating can be an extraordinarily joyful experience. Eating requires that you engage all your senses, which cause your brain to release feel-good chemicals, elevating your mood and evoking feelings of trust, enjoyment and relaxation. Let’s try it! Take in and embrace what Continue reading →

The post Be empowered to shift your perspective around food and your body! appeared first on The Pear Dish.

]]> Stop Shoulding on Yourself! https://usapears.org/blog/stop-shoulding-on-yourself/ Tue, 23 May 2017 21:51:18 +0000 http://blog.usapears.org/?p=4676 Should is a nasty word; it implies you’re doing something wrong. We all think it, we all say it, and we all need to be a little nicer to ourselves. I’m terribly guilty of this. I just finished the first official year of my doctoral program and today I decided to relax, not go to the gym, and enjoy a little downtime. (GASP!) I’m generally a go, go, go person, so I always feel like I should be doing something productive. But why? I liken the word should to the word shame, as in, I’m ashamed that I did or did not do __X__. I should go to the gym. I should not eat that ice cream. I should start working on the next project. Eating well, exercising, finishing that task, the list of our shoulds is endless. In one Continue reading →

The post Stop Shoulding on Yourself! appeared first on The Pear Dish.

]]> Sweet Breakfast Barley Bowl with Pear and Walnuts https://usapears.org/blog/sweet-breakfast-barley-bowl-with-pear-and-walnuts/ Tue, 16 May 2017 17:29:34 +0000 http://blog.usapears.org/?p=4671 Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, bestselling author and nutrition expert www.franceslargemanroth.com; @FrancesLRothRD As a parent and professional, I’m always looking for easy, yet flavorful and delicious recipes that can be prepped ahead of time and taken on-the-go. With the warmer weather and longer daylight, it’s all the more important to be satisfied so I can seize the day. Enter one of my go-to breakfasts bowls. Both the barley and pear are high in fiber (this recipe has 17g per serving!), to keep you feeling full until lunch. Instead of making the individual servings, you could use the whole batch of barley at once and top it with the sliced pears and walnuts to bring to a picnic or other summertime gathering. Bosc and Red and Green Anjou, so called “winter pears” are in season at the moment, and only ripen evenly to Continue reading →

The post Sweet Breakfast Barley Bowl with Pear and Walnuts appeared first on The Pear Dish.

]]> Beautiful on the Inside https://usapears.org/blog/beautiful-on-the-inside/ Tue, 25 Apr 2017 17:45:19 +0000 http://blog.usapears.org/?p=4658 This week a coworker said to me, “My son doesn’t eat fruits and vegetables, but it’s okay. He looks healthy.” Uh oh, this sounds familiar. Rather than what’s on the outside, the question we should ask is, “What does he look like on the inside?” Thinness does not imply healthy, and those who look like they are a healthy or expected weight on the outside may, due to poor diet or lack of exercise, harbor risk factors for chronic diseases on the inside. Medically this is called metabolically obese normal weight and socially called “skinny fat.” Unfortunately, like obesity, this condition is associated with insulin resistance and elevated blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood lipids, predisposing individuals to premature diabetes and cardiovascular disease. [1] National data suggest that metabolically obese normal weight individuals make up more than 20% of the Continue reading →

The post Beautiful on the Inside appeared first on The Pear Dish.

]]> Pear “Toasts” https://usapears.org/blog/pear-toasts/ Thu, 13 Apr 2017 16:14:47 +0000 http://blog.usapears.org/?p=4649 You’ve probably noticed how trendy the idea of toast has become, with food magazines, cooking shows, and restaurant chefs across the country coming up with enticing toppings for a humble slice of bread. There are even entire cafes dedicated to the concept. But what happens when you have the wacky idea to exchange a slice of pear for the bread? Magic! Here are four delicious ideas for topping pear “toasts” at home. Consider this a jumping off point for coming up with your own creative combinations, using whatever variety of pear you have ripening on the counter, and any tasty toppings sitting in your fridge or pantry. The options are practically endless, since pears taste amazing with both sweet and savory flavors. These quick creations are a yummy snack for kids and adults alike, whether the craving strikes after school or Continue reading →

The post Pear “Toasts” appeared first on The Pear Dish.

]]>