Week
of November 28, 2004
Fantastic
Apples
Apples
are a rich source of dietary fiber and are rich in calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin
C. Other nutrients in apples benefit the circulatory and lymphatic systems. The
health benefits of apples have been touted for centuries and gave rise to the
old adage that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." In fact, apples
are filled with many phytonutrients, which are strong natural antioxidants.
Try
this easy and tasty fruit salad for any winter meal.
Winter
Apple Salad
Serves 4
4
tart green apples, cored and chopped
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries
1 - 8
ounce container low fat vanilla yogurt
In
a medium bowl, stir together the apples, almonds, cranberries, cherries and yogurt
until evenly coated.
Per
Serving: 181 Calories; 6g Fat (27.7% calories from fat); 1g Saturated Fat; 5g
Protein; 29g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 3mg Cholesterol; 45mg Sodium. Exchanges:
0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat.
Week
of November 21, 2004
Wonderful
Winter Squash
We
all know about zucchini and yellow summer squash, but many of us are bewildered
by the many and varied bright green, orange and yellow varieties of winter squash.
In fact, they were once a very important part of the Native American diet in North
America.
Once
you get past the tough exterior to the mellow, sweet heart of a winter squash,
you will be glad you tried them. When cooked, the orange or yellow flesh becomes
soft and tastes wonderful in both savory and sweet dishes.
Always select squash that's heavy for its size and has a dull rind which tell
you that the fruit is ripe and flavorful. Store winter squash in a cool, dry place.
Acorn squash is probably the best squash to just bake and eat. Its flesh
is golden yellow, dry, and sweet, with a definable but pleasant texture. Butternut
squash is very versatile and easy to handle. Its orange flesh is thick, dry, fine-grained,
and sweet. Because of its density and ease of preparation, butternut is the squash
to use when you want to dice or slice or present squash in any form other than
a purée or a roasted chunk.
Hubbard squash is often sold in pieces because it can grow to cumbersome sizes.
This squash usually has a gray-blue shell, with a fine-grained flesh that's dry,
somewhat mealy, and very flavorful and often used for pies. It's a good-size squash
with tan skin, thick, deep-orange flesh, a coarse texture, and a really sweet
flavor. Sweet dumplings are tiny but great for roasting and presenting whole.
Sugar pumpkins are good for pies, too, as well as for canning since they have
a thick, fine-grained flesh.
A spaghetti squash is always cooked whole. You can cook a whole spaghetti squash
by either baking, boiling, or microwaving. Once the squash is cooked, and is cool
enough to handle, halve the squash and scoop out the seeds and fibers. Then take
a fork and begin to scrape at the squash flesh. As you tease it apart, the flesh
will separate into pasta like strands which can be tossed with a low fat Italian
sauce.
Stay away
from pumpkin pumpkins, whether they're the classic field type or the original
French variety. Carve them, but don't eat them: they're tough and bland.
Butternut
and delicata squash have a skin that is fairly easy to peel when raw. For most
other varieties, it is almost impossible to get the peel off of them while raw.
It is best to just cut them in half, quarters or rings and bake them at about
375 degrees F. The peel is easily removed after it is cooked. For squash puree,
let it cook until the flesh is really soft, then scoop it out of the shell and
run it through the food processor.
Roasted Winter
Squash
Serves
4
1/4 cup liquid
honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon
salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 acorn squash (2 ¼ - ½ pounds
total)*
Whisk
first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl. Halve each squash crosswise, and
scoop out seeds. Cut into 1 inch thick rings & toss in honey mixture until
well coated. You can cover and refrigerate for up to 6 hours at this point if
you are preparing ahead of time
Arrange
squash rings on a greased, foil lined, rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with honey
mixture. Bake in preheated 400 degrees F oven, turning once and basting with liquid,
until tender and golden, about 30 to 40 minutes.
*Or
you may use 1 butternut squash, peeled (leave the peel on acorn and peel butternut
- peel can be removed after cooking on acorn squash)
Per
Serving: 148 Calories; trace Fat (1.1% calories from fat); trace Saturated Fat;
2g Protein; 39g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 440mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain (Starch); 0 Vegetable; 0 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.
Week
of November 14, 2004
Let's
Talk Turkey
Use
a little common sense when selecting your holiday turkey. Some companies add fatty
agents into their turkeys to make them what is called self basting. Indeed, these
turkeys require less attention and basting during the cooking process, but they
always contain more fat than a non self basting turkey. Buy a lean whole turkey
or breast of turkey that is not self basting.
Use
seasoning instead of stuffing in the turkey cavity, to enhance the flavor of the
meat. You may use citrus fruits and herbs such as sage, marjoram, rosemary or
thyme. To season the exterior of the bird, spray or rub it with olive oil and
rub with herbs and citrus juices. Or you may add herbs or seasoning under the
skin of the turkey.
Baste
the turkey by brushing low fat broths or juices like apple, cranberry and orange
juice. Bake the turkey on a rack with a pan underneath to keep the turkey from
cooking in the collected fat as it drips.
Bake
the stuffing in a casserole or baking dish rather than in the cavity of the turkey.
When you bake dressing in the cavity, it soaks up the fat as the turkey roasts.
Week
of November 7, 2004
It's
that wonderful time of year again - turning leaves, cold windy fronts, football
games, family and friends and of course turkey leftovers. The question in a couple
of weeks will be what can you do with those turkey leftovers besides eating one
more turkey sandwich?
Turkey
leftovers are fantastic. Plan the size of the turkey you buy, based on how much
you want left over. Use leftover turkey in a few meals after the main meal, but
also dice or shred some of the meat to store in one and two cup freezer containers
or zip lock freezer bags for an easy addition to meals that you prepare during
the busy work week. Skillet stir fries, casseroles, and shredded meat sandwiches
become a quick and easy meal with leftover turkey. Don't forget to freeze the
carcass if you don't intend to use it for soup right away.
