Recipe for Eating Fun and Healthy
Submitted by John Soules and Mary Ivie
There is a notion out in the world that in order to eat foods that are healthy and good for us, we have to give up all of the things that make eating fun. Well I'm here to tell you that notion is totally false. So much of what we eat can be prepared in different ways as to make it healthy for us to consume as well as taste great and have fun in the preparation of the meal. Most of us as we get older start to worry about things like fat grams, calories, carbohydrates, and on and on. We worry that if it tastes good then it probably has too much cholesterol in it for our system. So we torture ourselves by first of all abstaining from certain foods, and then we cook many items without bringing out the flavor of food by not adding salt and other seasonings all in the name of good health. Here are a few recipes so you can see for yourself that eating healthy doesn't mean that you sacrifice good taste--you only enhance it.
2 ½ oz. Sun-dried tomatoes, ½ " diced
1/8 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 qt. canned diced tomatoes in juice
2 tbsp. ground basil
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut in ½ " cubes
3 lbs. pasta variety prepared hot
1 cup hot water
3/4 lb. diced onion
½ cup cooking sherry
½ lb. julienne cut green peppers
½ tsp. red cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1. In clean food container soak sun-dried tomatoes in hot water until reconstituted-drain and discard liquid.
2. In a skillet on top of a range saute onion and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes or until onions are transparent. Stir frequently.
3. Add sun-dried tomatoes and sherry to onion garlic mixture. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, cover, stir occasionally.
4. Add tomatoes, green pepper, basil and red cayenne pepper to vegetable mixture. Return to a simmer. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
5. Add chicken to simmering vegetable mixture. Simmer covered for 5 minutes. Chicken is done when an internal temperature of 165 degrees F is reached.
6. To serve: portion 1 cup prepared HOT pasta on a plate, top with 1 cup chicken mixture. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serves 10
1 ½ lbs. fresh green beans
½ cup low-salt chicken broth
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1 ½ tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Trim ends from beans, and remove strings. Cut beans in half lengthwise, slicing through the seam on each side of the beans.
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add beans and cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium, and gradually add broth, salt, and pepper; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Serves 6 (3/4 cup servings)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp grated orange peel
1 1/4 cups orange juice
1 cup evaporated skimmed milk
4 ounces egg substitute, (1 carton)
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup 2% low-fat milk
Combine sugar and egg substitute in a large bowl. Beat on medium speed of mixer for 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Add orange and lemon rinds and juices; beat until blended. Stir in milk.
Pour mixture into the freezer can of a 2 quart ice cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Spoon in to a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze for at least 1 hour. Serves 10. ½ cup servings
R News & Notes--September 9, 1998