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This blog post is sponsored by California Dried Plum Board. As always, all opinions are my own.
What’s the first thing you think of when you think of prunes? Most likely something related to your digestive system and may have even tried it when you were having difficulties going to the washroom. However, prunes go beyond providing benefits for your digestive health. Prunes are now being considered “The Whole Package” when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Prunes are dried plums and contain:
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Antioxidants
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Phytochemicals
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Fibre
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Potassium
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Magnesium
The nutrition profile of prunes provides multiple nutrition benefits that go beyond digestive health. Here is how eating just one daily serving of 5-6 prunes can be beneficial to your health:
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Prunes support your bone health. Prunes are a source of potassium, vitamin K, boron, and phenolic compounds, which help strengthen your bones (Click here for supporting research).
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Prunes support your heart health. Research has shown that prunes reduce LDL cholesterol.
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Prunes help with weight management. Consuming prunes as a snack has shown to suppress appetite by producing lower glucose and/or appetite-regulating hormones. Since they are naturally sweet and contain no added sugar, prunes make a great snack to satisfy your sweet cravings.
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Prunes help manage blood sugar levels. Prunes have a low glycemic index and contain dietary fibre, making it an optimal food to incorporate into your diet to maintain stable blood sugar levels.
California Prunes are not only a portable nutritious snack but also a great addition to a variety of sweet and savoury recipes. If you’ve had Middle Eastern style rice before, you may want to try this Fruity Rice Pilaf with California Prunes. Prunes are so versatile and should be a part of your pantry so that you can incorporate them into a variety of your recipes.
Fruity Rice Pilaf with California Prunes and Grilled Chicken Skewers
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Equipment
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4 Metal skewers, at least 8 inches long
Ingredients
Chicken Skewers
- 2 Large chicken breasts skinned and cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup Plain Yogurt
- 1 Tbsp. Turmeric
- ½ Chili powder
- Juice of 1 lemon
Rice Pilaf
- 2 Tbsp. Butter
- 1 Medium onion peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tsp. Ground coriander
- 1 tsp. Ground cumin
- 1 cup White or brown basmati rice (I used brown basmati rice)
- 2 cups Chicken stock
- 6 California Prunes roughly chopped
- ⅔ cup Shelled pistachio nuts roughly chopped
- 2 Tbsp. Fresh coriander finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. Fresh parsley finely chopped
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
To prepare chicken skewers:
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To prepare chicken skewers: In a small bowl, combine yogurt, turmeric, chili powder and lemon juice.
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Divide chicken pieces equally and place on skewers. Set skewers in a wide dish and cover with marinade. Set aside.
To prepare the pilaf:
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In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat, add onion and sauté until soft – about 5 min. Add ground coriander and ground cumin, stirring well to avoid sticking.
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Add rice, and sauté for about 1 min. before adding stock. Stir well, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Leave to cook over the heat. Cook for 10 min. then let sit for 2 to 3 more mins.
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On hot oiled grill, place chicken skewers turning every 2 to 3 mins, for a total of 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from grill and set aside.
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Add prunes, pistachio nuts and fresh herbs to rice and mix well.
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Serve chicken skewers on top of pilaf and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
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