Week
of September 24, 2010
Get
the Skinny on Shellfish
If
you really want to take off a few pounds or if
you'd just like to eat a nutritious and balanced
diet explore shellfish. The good news is that
these little critters are really a special treat,
and they're good for you too!
Clams, crab, mussels, oysters, scallops and shrimp
are all very easy to prepare. In fact, they taste
best when preparation is kept simple.
Like with any seafood, the most important thing
to remember when buying shellfish is: Make sure
it is fresh! Shop at a fish counter or store that
is always extrtemely busy. You can be assured
that the fish products turn fast and you are not
buying old but the very freshest fish.
Shellfish |
Serving
Size |
Total
Calories |
Fat
GMS |
Protein
GMS |
Carbs
GMS |
Fiber
GMS |
Chol.
MGS |
Sodium
MGS |
Clam,
canned, minced |
1/2
cup |
70 |
0.9 |
12.0 |
2.0 |
0 |
31 |
140 |
Clam,
boiled |
4
oz. |
168 |
2.2 |
29.0 |
5.8 |
0 |
76 |
127 |
Crab,
Alaskan King, boiled |
4
oz. |
110 |
1.7 |
21.9 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
60 |
1216 |
Crab,
Blue & Softshell, boiled |
4
oz. |
116 |
2.0 |
22.9 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
113 |
316 |
Crab
Alternative, made from surimi |
3
oz. |
87 |
1.1 |
10.2 |
8.7 |
0.0 |
17 |
715 |
Mussel,
raw |
3
oz. |
73 |
1.9 |
10.1 |
3.1 |
0.0 |
24 |
243 |
Oysters,
raw |
3
oz. |
50 |
1.3 |
4.4 |
4.7 |
0.0 |
21 |
150 |
Scallop,
raw |
3
oz. |
75 |
0.7 |
14.3 |
2.0 |
0.0 |
28 |
137 |
Shrimp,
raw |
3
oz. |
90 |
1.5 |
17.3 |
0.8 |
0.0 |
129 |
126 |
Shrimp,
canned |
3
oz. |
102 |
1.7 |
19.6 |
0.9 |
0.0 |
147 |
144 |
Week
of September 17, 2010
What
is Miso?
Miso
is a rich, salty condiment that characterizes
the essence of Japanese cooking. To make miso,
soy beans and sometimes a grain such as rice,
are combined with salt and a mould culture, and
then aged in cedar vats for one to three years.
The addition of different ingredients and variations
in length of ageing produce different types of
miso that vary greatly in flavor, texture, color
and aroma.
There
are many variations of miso, which are basically
all made from koji mixed with either rice, barley,
and/or soy beans. The ingredients are fermented
and aged in wooden kegs. Some of the lighter sweet
miso is aged for only one to two months, while
the darker miso may be aged for up to 2 years.
Miso comes in many colours, ranging from creamy
white, red and cocoa-brown. The texture and taste
of these variations are just as diverse.
The
recipe below uses white miso.
Miso Salmon
Serves 6
1/4
cup white miso
1/4 cup mirin
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons minced green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons good quality sesame oil
6 - 6 ounce wild Alaskan salmon fillets, with
skin
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
Green onions for garnish
Whisk first 6 ingredients in 13 x 9 x 2 inch glass
baking dish to blend for marinade. Add salmon;
turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes
and up to 2 hours.
Preheat broiler. Line a large baking sheet with
nonstick foil or plain foil (if using plain foil,
spray with cooking oil spray). Remove salmon fillets
from miso marinade; using rubber spatula, scrape
off excess marinade (If you like more miso flavor,
don't scrape off). Arrange salmon, skin side up,
on prepared baking sheet. Broil 5 to 6 inches
from heat source until skin is crisp, about 2
minutes. Using metal spatula, turn salmon over.
Broil until salmon is just cooked through and
golden brown on top, about 4 minutes.
Transfer
salmon to plates, skin side down. Garnish with
green onions if desired. Serve immediately.
You
can find white miso and mirin (a sweet Japanese
rice wine) at Japanese markets and in the Asian
foods section or refrigerated section of supermarkets.
Per
Serving: 250 Calories; 8g Fat (31.4% calories
from fat); 1g Saturated Fat; 35g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate;
1g Dietary Fiber; 88mg Cholesterol; 533mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 5 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable;
1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
Week
of September 10, 2010
If
you love the taste of breaded chicken and fish,
you will enjoy all four of these recipes for crispy
“oven frying”.
The recipes below yield 1 to 1 1/2 cups coating.
This will be enough for 1 whole cut up chicken,
6 chicken breast halves or 6 (4 ounce fish fillets).
To coat and bake chicken (with or without skin
- no skin of course has less fat and calories)
or fish, dip in skim milk or low fat buttermilk
and dredge in coating. For a heavier coating,
dip in flour first, then in milk and then into
the coating. Place in baking dish that has been
sprayed with cooking oil spray. Lightly mist coated
chicken or fish fillets and bake.
Cooking
Times:
• Chicken pieces - 400 degrees for 55 to
60 minutes or until juices run clear
• Chicken breasts - 375 degrees for 30 minutes
or until no longer pink in center
• Fish fillets - 350 degrees for 15 to 20
minutes or until fish flakes with tines of a fork
Lemon
Pepper
1 cup plain bread crumbs
3 teaspoons lemon-pepper seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dried dill weed (not seed)
Cornmeal
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons garlic salt
Potato
1 1/2 cup mashed potato flakes
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Corn
Flake
1 cup crushed corn flake crumbs
2 tablespoons dried Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
Seasoning
blends can be stored in airtight containers in
the pantry except for those that contain Parmesan
cheese and that must be stored in the refrigerator.
Feel
free to experiment with your own favorite flavors
like taco seasoning mix, cumin or curry.
Week
of September 3, 2010
Remember
that if you want to lose weight, CALORIES
DO COUNT! If you want to shed the
pounds, you have to burn more calories
than you consume. All physical activity
burns calories, even activities like standing,
sitting and sleeping. The more vigorous an
activity, the more calories burned. To
lose 1 pound, you must burn 3500 excess calories
(500 calories per day over the course of a
week).
Health
care professionals recommend slow weight loss
as the safest and most effective plan.
One-half
to one pound per week slow weight loss
promotes long-term loss of body fat.
If
you reduce your calorie intake by 300
calories a day and increase your activity
to burn 200 extra calories per day, you
can expect a steady weight loss of approximately
one pound per week
The
heavier a person is, the more calories
they will burn. Use our simple calorie
calculator by clicking on the button below
to see how many calories you will burn
(for your weight) while executing various
exercises.
As
all fat contains 9 calories per gram, the
type of fat you eat is irrelevant from a
weight loss viewpoint. However, from a health
viewpoint it is important to reduce your
intake of animal fats and replace them with
vegetable fats/oils.
There
are just under 4 calories in each gram of
protein. Protein is essential for good health.
However it is better to lower your intake
of animal protein (cheese and meat) and
increase your intake of vegetable protein
(beans, soybeans, lentils, nuts.)
There are just under 4 calories in each
gram of carbohydrates (3.75 calories). It
is best to choose carbs with a low glycemic
index rating. Low-GI carbs take longer to
digest and help maintain stable blood glucose
levels. Carbs which are high on the glycemic
index (refined sugary foods) contain more
'empty' or non nutritious calories and can
upset blood glucose levels, which may disrupt
our appetite mechanism and trigger food
cravings.
If
you want to lose weight, it is best to eat
a diet which is low in animal fat, high
in healthy (low glycemic index) carbohydrates
with modest amounts of protein and about
1200 calories.