Healthy Meals Made Simple Nutritional deficiencies be tween vitamin C and scurvy and between vitamin D and rickets were connected during the early 1900 s. Since then, the focus has been on how food and substances in food can improve health and po tentially protect a person from disease. Protein found in meats and seafood give energy and pro mote healthy cells. If you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to cook meat, tuna is ready-to-eat from the can. Tuna is high in protein and low in fat and calo ries when compared with other proteins. Not only does tuna add variety to low-fat diets, but also the protein in tuna stabilizes blood sugar levels, keeping ap petite under control and energy levels high. Calcium found in cheese, milk, and other dairy products are best known for its bone building benefits. It’s shown to prevent osteoporosis, which is a bone-thinning disease that causes 1.5 million fractures of the hip, spine, and wrist each year. Calcium is a mineral needed to help keep bones dense and strong. Dairy products, as well as sardines and canned salmon with bones, are good sources of calcium. Eating cheese is one of the easiest ways to work calcium, protein, and phosphorous into your diet. Cheese provides the same amount of protein as an equal amount of peanut butter. Two one-ounce slices of American cheese has about as much calcium as an 8-ounce glass of milk. The vitamins and minerals found in vegetables are shown to reduce the risk of cancer, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, osteopo rosis, and other health risks. The Five A Day program en courages people to eat five or more servings of fruits and vege tables daily for better health. When it comes right down to it, almost every food has nutri tional benefits. Depending on in dividual needs some people need to consume more of some nu trient-dense foods and eat spar ingly of others. Choices abound. Today’s collection offers ideas for a great start toward total nu trition. Recipe Topics If you have recipes for the topics listed below, please share them with us. We welcome your recipes, but ask that you include accurate measurements, a complete list of ingredients and clear instructions with each recipe you submit. Send your recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming, P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522. Recipes should reach our office one week before publishing date listed below. March April For more information about 5 a Day, visit www.saday.com. Or to receive additional recipes, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Produce for Better Health Foundation, 5301 Lime stone Rd., Suite 101, Wilming ton, DE 19808. CALIFORNIA GOLD TART 60 fat-free cinnamon graham crackers, crushed 2 tablespoons butter, melted 9-ounce package sugar-free instant vanilla pudding VA cups nonfat milk 'A cup dried apricots, thinly sliced 2 fresh plums 2 fresh nectarines 2 fresh peaches 3 tablespoons all-fruit, no sugar jam, melted Mix crumbs with butter and press into bottom and slightly up sides of removable-bottom 9- inch tart pan. Bake at 375 de grees for 6 minutes or until crisp. Cool. Beat pudding mix with milk, whisking vigorously to blend. Turn filling into tart pan. Brush jam over cut surfaces of fruit to glaze. Chill until ready to serve (best within 4 hours). To serve, gently slip off pan sides. This lean tart base is delicate, so after cutting wedges, slide each wedge on to dessert plate using wide metal pancake-turner style spatula. Serves 6. SUM STRAWBERRY CHEF S SALAD Vi cup nonfat light sour cream substitute Va cup red wine vinegar 2 green onions, sliced 2 to 3 teaspoons hot-sweet mustard Salt and pepper, to taste Butter lettuce leaves 2 pint baskets strawberries, steamed 2 cups assorted fresh fruit pieces (grapefruit segments, pineapple chunks, orange and kiwi slices) 8 slices lean turkey or ham x h cup alfalfa sprouts To make salad dressing, in small bowl, whisk sour cream substitute, vinegar, onions, and mustard; season with salt and pepper. Set aside. To assemble salad, line four dinner plates with lettuce. Top with fruits, turkey and sprouts, dividing equally. Serve with dressing on the side. Makes 4 servings. 11 - Nutty Recipes With Appeal 18 - Scones, Biscuits & Specialty Breads 25 - Citrus Uses 1 - Asparagus This may look like a contemporary salad, but the recipe is from a 1623 kitchen of the “The English Housewife.” RAISIN ENERGY UTI t!> 4 egg whites V* cup sugar 4 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon V it teaspoon vanilla extract IVs cups plain low-fat granola 1 cup raisins 3 tablespoons toasted wheat germ 3 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds 4 teaspoons sesame seeds In a large bowl, beat egg whites and sugar with whisk until smooth. Beat in oil, cin namon, and vanilla extract. Stir in remaining ingredients; blend well. Generously coat 13x9-inch baking pan with nonstick cook ing spray. Turn raisin mixture into pan; pat to even layer. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 to 2S minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 min utes in pan. Loosen edges with spatula and invert onto wire rack to cool completely. Cut into four dozen bite-sized pieces. Snack Mix: Combine Raisin Bites with one or more of the fol lowing: dried apricots or dried apples, roasted almonds, pea nuts or cashews, or banana chips. Tip: When there is no time to sit down to breakfast, bag these Raisin Bites for a good breakfast to go. DOUBLE VANILLA YOGVRTSAUCE 1 Vi-inch piece vanilla bean VA cups vanilla nonfat yogurt Place vanilla bean in yogurt; cover and refrigerate two hours. Remove bean from yogurt and split lengthwise in half. Scrape seeds into yogurt with tip of a small knife; discard bean. Cover yogurt and refrigerate until serving. Ashley Carper Huntingdon Co. Dairy Princess BAKED APPLES WITH FRESH MINT 4 apples V 2 cup raisins V* cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon fresh mint, minced 2 teaspoons butter Core apples and peel off a one-inch strip around the hole on the top of each apple. Place apples in shallow baking dish. Combine raisins, brown sugar, and mint. Fill apples with raisin mixture. Top with raisin filling in each apple with Vi teaspoon butter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes or until apples are tender. Makes 4 servings. Featured Recipe Today’s recipe comes from Stewart and Carol Mathias, Hum melstown. Stewart was recently named Pennsylvania Beekeeper of the Year. He is an enthusiastic supporter of beekeeping, which has an cient ties to agriculture. In addition to his own achievements, Mathias’s daughter Jill, a former Pennsylvania Honey Queen and American Princess, remains active in the industry and is treasurer of the National Honey Board. This recipe is one of the family’s many favorites using honey. Nutrients are packed in the ingredients that combines seafood, spinach, and honey, which is a natural, unrefined food that con tains vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Honey is fat-free, cho lesterol free, and has no sodium. Read more about Mathias and the honey and bee industry in the article that appears in this section, and don’t forget to try this recipe. BAKED FLOUNDER WITH SPINACH 1 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon lemon juice V* teaspoon nutmeg V* teaspoon ginger 2 to 3 chopped scallions 1 tablespoon flour 1 package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed, drained 1 Impounds flounder fillets or other whiteflsh Paprika Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine first seven ingredients. Add half the mixture to the spinach and place in bottom of shal low baking dish. Arrange fillets on top and cover with remaining sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and bake 20 minutes. CREAMY FRUIT DIP 8-ounces cream cheese Va cup packed brown sugar 1 cup sour cream 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 cup cold millt 3.4-ounce package instant va nilla pudding mix In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth. Add sour cream, va nilla, lemon juice, milk, and pudding mix. Cover and chill at least one hour. Serve as a dip for fruit. Amanda Martin Lebanon Co. Dairy Princess (Turn to Pag* M)
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