Eating a diet that is good for your heart can be fun, easy and delicious! You will find a selection of heart healthy cookbooks in the online store, including WomenHeart’s ALL HEART Family Cookbook. The ALL HEART Family cookbook features 40 foods proven to promote heart health and over 175 delicious recipes your whole family will enjoy.

Monthly Fruit and Vegetable

July's fruit of the month is the plum and the vegetable of the month is cucumber.

Bruscetta with Plums and Fresh Basil

The plum is a drupe, a pitted fruit that is closely related to the nectarine, peach, and apricot.  It is far more diverse though, coming in a variety of size, shapes, and skin colors.  About 20 varieties of plums are available throughout the season.  

Plums should be plump and fairly well colored for their variety. A plum that yields to gentle pressure can be eaten right away; however you can also buy fairly firm plums and let them soften at home. Once softened, transfer them to the refrigerator. Ripe plums can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Cucumber Yogurt Dip

Cucumbers belong to the same family as pumpkin, zucchini, watermelons, and other squash. The term "cool as a cucumber" isn't just a catchy phrase – the inside of a cucumber can be up to 20 degrees cooler than the outside air. No wonder they are so refreshing!  It is important to look for dark green cucumbers that are firm with no soft spots. Cucumbers that bulge in the middle usually mean the cucumber is full of large watery seeds and tasteless flesh.  Whole cucumbers should last up to a week in the crisper part of a refrigerator. Peeling and seeding is optional depending on the use. To seed, slice cucumber in half length wise and scrape out the seeds using the tip of a teaspoon. 

Still Hungry?

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