Week of August 28, 2005

If you think a salad is just rabbit food . . . think again! Get out of the rut of some torn iceberg lettuce and sliced tomato. Today most markets carry a wide variety of salad greens. Try to use several varieties in your salads. Many larger markets also carry a loose premixed mesclun, which contains a variety of greens (usually arugula, beet top, frisee, baby spinach, radicchio, mache, mizuna and red oak leaf lettuce to name a few). You can also blend your own by going through the produce department and picking your favorites. Interesting flavors that add a little zing or extra flavor to your regular lettuce are the slightly bitter chicories such as endive or radicchio, peppery arugula or even mild baby spinach. Look for interesting textures and colors in your greens as well. Try adding some frisee or curly red leaf lettuce for added texture. For a slightly sweet, mild anise flavor, try adding some chopped fresh fennel bulb to your salad. Wash greens well and pat dry with paper towels or use a salad spinner to get rid of excess water. If greens are dry, the dressing will then adhere better to the leaves and not be diluted. Estimate about 2 cups per serving for each individual. Besides the green themselves, you can also add other veggies. Tomatoes, onions or green onion, bell peppers, cucumbers, shredded or thinly sliced carrots, shredded cabbage, avocado, olives (both green and black), celery, cauliflower, broccoli, radishes, peas, corn, beans, canned water chestnuts, jicama, canned hearts of palm, canned artichokes, etc. Blanched vegetables that have been steamed and dunked in cold water baths also make great salad additions. Asparagus and green beans, snap peas or snow peas are great when blanched. Just make sure to leave them crispy tender with plenty of crunch. Fruit can also add color and a nice contrasting flavor to green salads. Good fruits in green salads include fresh strawberries, blueberries or raspberries. Citrus fruit like orange or grapefruit slices or fresh pineapple go extremely well with spinach. Or if you like tropical fruits, try mango or papaya. Grilled roasted vegetables are also great on salads. Try this with onions, asparagus, yellow squash, zucchini, mushrooms and many others. (Really all mushrooms should be treated in this fashion. Raw mushrooms, even button mushrooms are slightly toxic when eaten raw.) To make your salad a main course meal, add grilled chicken, turkey, pork, beef or even tofu. Some ingredients that add real big flavor and are only needed in very small amounts are very pungent cheeses such as blue cheese, gorgonzola, Roquefort or feta as well as brine cured olives like kalamatas, toasted nuts, sugared nuts, seeds and anchovies. Although higher in fat and calories, a very small amount go es a long way. Small amounts of fresh herbs can also add a whole new flavor dimension to salads and salad dressings as well. Try basil, thyme leaves, chives, mint or tarragon. Just make sure the herbs you use in your salad are not fighting with the flavor of your dressing. Do not over dress your salad. When you toss your salad with dressing, you only need about 1 teaspoon of dressing per person. Most people never taste the salad because they use so much dressing that is all they can taste. Also make sure that the dressing you choose is compatible with the ingredients in your salad. Just taste test a small amount together if you are not sure. If you are unsure about what a particular salad green looks like, see the visual chart below. Arugula Baby Spinach Belgian Endive Mâche Radicchio Lollo Rossa Beet Top Watercress Tat Soi Frisée Red Oak Leaf Lettuce Mizuna Curly Kale Tango Green Oak Leaf Lettuce Red Mustard Green Chard Mesclun Mix

Week of August 21, 2005

These yogurt ices are a healthy alternative to ice cream treats. Enjoy them as treats as the summer temperatures soar.

Strawberry Orange Pops
Makes 12

2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 cup frozen whole strawberries, thawed

Stir together orange juice and yogurt.

Process berries in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Stir into juice mixture. Spoon mixture evenly into 12 (3-ounce) plastic pop molds; insert plastic pop sticks, and freeze 8 hours.

COOKS NOTE: If desired, place 12 (3 ounce) paper cups in a muffin pan. Spoon mixture evenly into cups. Freeze 30 minutes or until solid enough to insert a stick in the center of each. Freeze 8 hours. Peel off cups and enjoy.

Per Serving : 30 Calories; trace Fat (7.4% calories from fat); trace Saturated Fat; 1g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 8mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 0 Fat.

Week of August 14, 2005

Cool Summer Treats - Fruit on a Stick

Fruit pops aren't just for kids. These refreshing treats are a cool way to enjoy your daily fruit and yogurt. Fresh ripe fruit is the main ingredient in the ice pops below. They are minimally sweetened and contain no dyes, or preservatives like commercial pops.

If you do not have an inexpensive plastic pop mold, you can use small flat-bottomed paper drinking cups with a capacity of 3 or 4 ounces. Wooden ice cream sticks can be used for handles, but wait to insert them until the fruit mixture has frozen to a slush thick enough to hold the sticks upright.

Choose a yogurt flavor that is the same as your fruit or choose complementary flavors with contrasting colors of yogurt and fruit. Use pureed fruit, (peel and seed the fruit if needed) but add a few chunks diced fruit if desired.

2 cups yogurt, any flavor

1 cup pureed fresh fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, ripe bananas, apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, kiwi, papaya or mango

Mix yogurt with fruit. Pour into plastic molds or small paper cups. If using wooden sticks for handles, freeze until mushy before inserting sticks. Freeze until pops are hard.

Week of August 7, 2005

Fiber Rich Beans in Your Diet

Tasty little beans are good for you and they are easy on your pocketbook too. In fact, beans are one of the most inexpensive sources of protein that you can find. Beans cost one third to one half the price of hamburger meat. Beans are available frozen, canned or dry for ease of preparation and storage.

Beans have lot of vitamins and minerals such as B vitamins including folic acid and iron. They are also low in fat and calories and contain fiber to help with digestion. Beans are so nutritious and so rich in protein that they are included in both the vegetable and the protein groups in the USDA's new Food Guide Pyramid.

Black Bean Tostadas
Servings: 4

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained, mashed
2 teaspoons chili powder
Cooking oil spray
4 - 8 inch corn tortillas
1 cup washed torn romaine lettuce leaves
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 jalapeño peppers,* seeded and finely chopped

Combine beans and chili powder in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium heat until hot. Sprinkle tortillas with water; place in skillet, one at a time. Cook 20 to 30 seconds or until hot and pliable, turning once during cooking.

Spread bean mixture evenly over tortillas; layer with lettuce, tomato, onion, yogurt and peppers. Garnish with cilantro, sliced tomatoes and peppers, if desired. Serve immediately.

COOKS NOTE: *Jalapeño peppers can sting and irritate the skin. Wear rubber gloves when handling peppers and do not touch eyes. Wash hands after handling.

Per Serving (Per Tostada): 151 Calories; 2g Fat (9.4% calories from fat); trace Saturated Fat; 8g Protein; 28g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 280mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain (Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 0 Fat.