After receiving great feedback about the healthy and delicious fruit and vegetable combination I created for the South Beach Wine & Food (SoBe) Festival’s “Fun and Fit as a Family” – sponsored by Carnival featuring Kellogg’s Kidz Kitchen – as well as many requests for the dressing recipes, I thought my blog would be a great way to share with all of you.
“Five a Day, the Baptist Health Way” is an easy guide you can use to follow the healthy food plan based on USDA guidelines [1], which encourage you and your family to reach for more fruits and vegetables. A good goal is to eat two cups of fruit and three cups of vegetables per day.
Our “Five a Day, the Baptist Health Way” activity featured pineapple, cucumbers, black beans, tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, mint and basil. Folks were able to mix all the fruits and vegetables together, or pick the ones they liked best.
We prepared two dressings – guava ginger soy and agave balsamic – which paired very well with the wide variety of fruits and vegetables.
The recipes are extremely easy to make, and have the same method of preparation. Combine all the ingredients and, using an electric or handheld blender, blend until smooth.
Guava Ginger Soy:
- 1 quart guava nectar
- 2-inch piece of ginger
- 4 cilantro sprigs
- 3 scallions, white part only
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Coconut Agave dressing:
- zest from two limes
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, fresh
- 1/4 cup agave nectar [2]
- 1/4 cup coconut water
- 1 teaspoon cilantro
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
ABOUT CHEF RICHARD
Chef Richard Plasencia, executive chef at South Miami Hospital, joined Baptist Health South Florida in 2011 for the
opening of West Kendall Baptist Hospital. He is an award-winning chef who is passionate about creating and sharing fresh local and seasonal recipes seasoned with flavor and good health. In addition to an interest in nutrition, Chef Richard has an extensive history in the hospitality industry.
He served as Chef at Town Kitchen & Bar, Jake’s, the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables, the Shore Club, Por Fin, and the Conrad Hotel. He also was part of several teams that received the Mobile 4 and 5 star awards, as well as Cioppino being named to America’s Top 50 restaurants by Esquire Magazine 2005, during his time at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne. Chef Richard Plasencia graduated from Johnson & Wales University with a Bachelor of Science in culinary arts.