Thursday 14 March 2013

Quorn Foods: Plant-Based Diet Can Have Positive Effects on Fibromyalgia


On February 25, Quorn Foods responded to a recent article from Care 2, which reports that cooking vegetarian recipes and eliminating meat intake can reduce the symptoms of fibromyalgia. According to Care2, “millions suffer from fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by months of widespread pain, often accompanied by fatigue, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, cognitive difficulties, headaches, low back pain, and other problems. Its cause is unknown and there is no known cure.”


Studies showed that sufferers of fibromyalgia experienced significantly less pain when they were switched to a strict vegan or vegetarian diet, reports Care2. According to the research on Care2, the study indicated that people suffering from fibromyalgia should adhere to a strict vegan or vegetarian diet, rather than just eating mostly vegetarian. “Fourteen fibromyalgia sufferers were put on a mostly vegetarian Mediterranean diet for two weeks and unfortunately did not see significant improvement.”


Quorn Foods representative David Wilson responded to the article, saying that there are a lot of vegetarian recipes out there that people can try that can help improve over-all health. “If you suffer from fibromyalgia but the thought of switching to a vegetarian diet is not appealing, maybe you should try a meat substitute,” he said. “Quorn products taste great, and if they can help reduce your symptoms then it is worth trying for the sake of your health?”


Quorn Foods launched nationally in the US in 2002. Unlike other vegetarian food companies, Quorn foods use mycoprotein: a naturally occurring, healthy form of protein that replicates the taste and texture of meat while being significantly lower in saturated fats and calories. Quorn Foods offer a wide range of products including ready to serve meals, food for your barbecue, breaded meat substitutes, snacks and components to make your own meals from scratch. The wonderful taste of Quorn meatless meals provides the taste of the foods you love without sacrificing nutrition.


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View the original article here

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Beyond the olive: 9 healthy oils for cooking, dressing dishes


Olive oil has gotten its share of the limelight, most recently after a study showing that the Mediterranean diet, which incorporates a healthy amount of extra virgin olive oil, can cut the risk of heart attacks. While a good quality olive oil is great for dressings or light sautéing, it doesn’t work for every preparation method. Here, we enlisted Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN and author of “The O2 Diet,” to get the goods on nine other popular oils, their nutritional profiles and how best to use them. If you’re feeling adventurous, pick up a bottle the next time you’re at the market!


Grapeseed oil
The numbers: 1 tablespoon contains 120 calories, and 14 grams of fat (only 1 of which is saturated.)


Why it’s good for you: Grapeseed oil is high in vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene. And due to the high omega-6 content (up to 70 percent), grapeseed oil can be good for psoriasis, acne and many other skin conditions.


How to use it: Since it has a higher smoking point, grapeseed oil is great for frying or sautéing. Its light flavor also makes for a delicious salad dressing.


Walnut oil
The numbers: 1 tablespoon contains 164 calories and 16 grams of fat. Most of the fat is polyunsaturated fatty acids.


Why it’s good for you: Walnut oil contains a variety of minerals, including zinc, selenium, magnesium, copper, potassium and phosphorous. This oil also contains healthy amounts of vitamins C and E, both of which have antioxidant properties.


How to use it: When exposed to high temperatures, walnut oil turns bitter, so it’s best used uncooked in dressings or sauces.


Sesame oil
The numbers: 1 tablespoon contains 119 calories and 13 grams of fat.


Why it’s good for you: Sesame oil has antibacterial properties so using it as a topical treatment or a dietary supplement may help protect against abnormal bacterial growth. It also contains a chemical called phytate, which acts as an antioxidant in cells and may help prevent cellular damage and genetic alterations, decreasing your risk of developing cancer and other diseases.


How to use it: Light sesame oil has a high smoking point so you can fry and sauté with it. It’s also a tasty addition to Asian inspired dressings and sauces.


Safflower oil
The numbers: 1 tablespoon contains 120 calories and 13.6 grams of fat, all of which is unsaturated.


Why it’s good for you: Safflower is high in unsaturated fats making it a healthy choice for the heart and cardiovascular system. There are two different types of safflower oil: one variety is high in oleic acid and has a high smoking point. This type of safflower oil has high levels of monounsaturated fat and vitamin E content, making it nutritionally similar to olive oil. Other varieties of safflower oil are high in linoleic acid and are better suited for using cold.


How to use it: If the bottle doesn’t say “high heat,” don’t cook with it. Instead, use the safflower in salad dressings, as a light spread on breads and as a nutritional supplement.


Sunflower oil
The numbers: 1 tablespoon contains 120 calories and 13.6 grams of fat, all of which is unsaturated.


Why it’s good for you: Sunflower oil is best known for being rich in linoleic, oleic acid and the antioxidant vitamin E, as well as betaine, phenolic acid, choline, arginine and lignans.


How to use it: Sunflower oil is heat stable and makes an excellent cooking oil. It’s also great for baking!


Canola oil
The numbers: One tablespoon contains 124 calories and 14 grams of fat (one of which is saturated).


Why it’s good for you: Canola oil is among the best sources of plant-based omega-3 fat and has the least saturated fat of all cooking oils and is free of trans fat and cholesterol.  It’s also a great source of vitamin E. Look for non-GMO or organic canola oil, which is free of genetically modified organisms.


How to use it: Canola oil has a high heat tolerance, neutral taste and light texture, making it perfect for sautéing and baking.


Coconut oil
The numbers: One tablespoon contains 122 calories and 13.6 grams of fat (12 grams of which are from saturated fat.)


Why it’s good for you: Because it’s so high in saturated fat, coconut oil’s health benefits are often called into question. But it actually elevates HDL levels (the good cholesterol) and reduces heart disease. It also contains lauric acid, which has antibacterial, antimicrobial and antiviral properties.


How to use it: Coconut oil has a very high smoking point, making it ideal for frying. When unopened, coconut oil has the consistency of thick hand cream. But if the room temperature is high, usually over 76 degrees, it may liquefy. The oil is still usable in its liquid or solid state.


Flax oil
The numbers: One tablespoon of flaxseed oil has 120 calories and 13 grams of fat (1.5 of which is saturated.)


Why it’s good for you: Flaxseed oil contains alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA, which is a fatty acid that the body converts into the omega-3s EPA and DHA. It also has omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, B vitamins, potassium, lecithin, magnesium, fiber, protein and zinc.


How to use it: Because of its low melting point, skip the stove. Instead add it to foods such as salads, yogurts and vegetables after they are prepared.


Avocado oil
The numbers: One tablespoon contains 124 calories and 14 grams of fat, mostly unsaturated.


Why it’s good for you: Avocado oil is high in vitamin E and unsaturated fats and contains more protein than any other fruit and more potassium than a banana. Research has shown that avocado oil exerts anti-inflammatory effects that may be helpful in preventing bone erosion associated with periodontal disease.


How to use it: This oil is similar in nutritional value, texture, and taste to olive oil and you can use it for cooking at low temperatures, as well as dips and dressings.


Get more tips and recipes for seasonal eats at Made By Michelle.


Try these recipes using some of the oils mentioned above:


Walnut oil: Seared diver scallops with an apple and celery root salad


Canola oil: Tuna ceviche with coconut dressing


Coconut oil: Veggie tumeric quinoa


Sesame oil: Chicken satays with spicy almond sauce


View the original article here

Landmark Clinical Study Reports Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Walnuts Significantly Reduces Risk of Stroke and Cardiovascular Diseases

The Mediterranean diet: 4 recipes to try

News that a diet rich in fruits, veggies and fish and drizzled in olive oil is good for your heart sent health-seekers storming grocery stores for the Mediterranean-style ingredients.

But what to make?

“Cook Yourself Sexy” author and chef Candice Kumai compiled recipes to showcase how delicious — and healthy — embracing the Mediterranean diet can be.

“It’s not just a diet, it’s a lifestyle,” Kumai told the Daily News.

“The olive oils and the fish and the nuts, they all run parallel to what Hippocrates said: ‘Let our food be our medicine, and our medicine be our food.’”

MEDITERRANEAN DIET SLASHES HEART DISEASE RISK

FORMER MODEL & 'TOP CHEF' STAR SHOWS NEW YORKERS HOW TO 'COOK YOURSELF SEXY'

Kumai stresses eating the Mediterranean way makes people live longer, noting that “blue zones” — demographic areas where people live longer — fall in parts of the world where Mediterranean-style eating is the norm, like Greece and Italy.

“These countries have high consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, olive oil and legumes,” she said. “And they have wine, but they moderate their wine consumption. They have meat, but they moderate their meat consumption.”

It’s the diet’s focus on “real foods” that’s so important, Kumai said. That, and not being scared to indulge in good fats, like avocados and oils.

“The fear of fat is so 1980s,” Kumai said. “ That’s not what’s making you fat. It’s the overconsumption of grains, heavy meats, the wrong type of fats, refined sugar and processed foods.”

Below, check out four of Kumai’s Mediterranean-style recipes from her latest book, “Cook Yourself Sexy.”

THE PROS AND CONS OF GOING VEGETARIAN

RECIPE28N_2_WEB

Lox, Caper and Rocket salad

Makes 4 servings

Caper-lemon dressing:

¼ cup caper brine (from the caper jar)

1 teaspoon oregano

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon honey or agave nectar (optional)

Salad:

4 cups wild arugula

1/3 cup capers

1 cup cannellini beans

1/4 cup chèvre (goat cheese), crumbled

12 thin slices lox (wild smoked salmon)

To make the dressing:

In a small bowl, whisk together the caper brine, oregano, olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt. Add a touch of honey or agave, if desired.

To make the salad:

In a large salad bowl, combine the arugula, capers, and cannellini beans. Toss with half of the vinaigrette. Top the salad with the chèvre and lox.

RECIPE28N_3_WEB

Roasted Tomatoes with Barley

Makes 4 servings

Roasted tomatoes:

2 cups cherry tomatoes on the vine

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 cups barley

3 1/2–3 3/4 cups water

2 cups mizuna greens or arugula

1 cup thinly shaved fennel

2 tablespoons chèvre (goat cheese)

Dijon vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar


View the original article here

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Mediterranean diet recipe: polenta with roasted vegetables

New research has found that the Mediterranean diet is linked to a healthy heart.

The diet is rich in vegetables, fish, olive oil and nuts. Thinking of switching or adopting some of the principals of the diet? Here is a Mediterranean diet recipe from the Mayo Clinic to get you started.

Have a healthy recipe you'd like to share? Send it to andrea.walker@baltsun.com.

1 small eggplant, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 small yellow zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 small green zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
6 medium mushrooms, sliced
1 sweet red pepper, seeded, cored and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups water
1 1/2 cups coarse polenta (corn grits)
2 teaspoons trans-free margarine
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed
2 plum (Roma) tomatoes, sliced
6 dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in water to rehydrate, drained and chopped
10 ripe olives, chopped 2 teaspoons oregano

Heat the broiler (grill). Position the rack 4 inches from the heat source.

Brush the eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms and red pepper with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange in single layer on a baking sheet and broil under low heat. Turn as needed and brush occasionally with 1 tablespoon olive oil. When tender and slightly browned, remove from the broiler (grill). Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for later use.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Coat a decorative, ovenproof 12-inch flan or quiche dish with cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and slowly whisk in polenta. Continue to stir and cook for about 5 minutes. When polenta comes away from side of pan, stir in margarine and season with 1/8 teaspoon of the black pepper. Remove from heat.

Spread polenta into the base and sides of the baking dish. Brush with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and keep warm.

Drain spinach and press between paper towels. Top polenta with spinach. Arrange a layer of sliced tomatoes, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and olives. Top with remaining roasted vegetables. Sprinkle with oregano and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes. When warmed through, remove from the oven. Cut into 6 wedges and serve.


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Keeping Mediterranean food culture alive


Remember the Mediterranean Diet? Do you still eat like a Greek widow or have you stashed all that away with Atkins and South Beach?


In 1993, Oldways Preservation Trust launched a symposium with the Harvard School of Public Health, declaring the Mediterranean Diet the optimal diet for good health. We were still living with no-fat Puritanism then; it was the age of the Snack Well’s, that monster unleashed by the USDA when in 1977 the U.S. Senate changed the warning on its Dietary Goals to, “for good health, reduce fat.” All fat. Even the good ones. (Gifford Dun. A symposium: Dietary Fats, Eating Guidelines, and Public Policy. The American Journal of Medicine, Volume 113/ supplement 9B)


The Mediterranean Diet, as put forth by Oldways and Harvard, reclaimed not just a healthy way of eating but a healthy way of living, one that celebrated good food, particularly fresh vegetables, fruits, olive oil and fish, and one that wasn’t shackled to fat content.


Dun Gifford founded Oldways the year he launched the Mediterranean Diet. By all accounts, Gifford was an uber-charismatic man who lived many lives: He survived the Andrea Doria sinking as a child, was legislative assistant to Edward Kennedy, and campaign coordinator for Robert Kennedy. Gifford was beside Robert Kennedy in the Ambassador Hotel kitchen when Kennedy was shot, and was one of the group who wrestled down Sirhan-Sirhan.


In the 1980s, few people described themselves as foodies; glassblowing and pottery were artisanal, not food. But Gifford had traveled extensively in Greece, Italy and Spain, and was part-owner of the Harvest restaurant in Cambridge. He became passionate about the beautiful food he had experienced in his Mediterranean travels, and convinced of its cultural merits. Gifford was determined to defeat the 1980s’ trend that made dining an unpalatable, exhaustive game of fat hide-and-seek. He wanted to revive not only the nutrition, but the culture these foods symbolized: slow, respectful meals among friends, wine included.


Gifford died in 2010, but his partner Sara Baer Sinnott continues the Oldways work. “Health through heritage,” is the banner still snapping at the Oldways offices on Beacon Street in Boston’s Back Bay.


Here are some interesting anecdotes about the Mediterranean Diet: The first study recognizing that something was going on in southern Europe was done by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1948. Greece had invited the foundation to do a post-war analysis of Crete, examining if industrialization might or might not be a fit there. It was a “comprehensive survey of the demographic, economic, social, health, and dietary characteristics” of the members of one out of every 150 households, run by Leland Allbaugh, published as a monograph in 1953. (Marion Nestle, Mediterranean diets: historical and research overviews. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, volume 61, number 6(s).)


In that study, Nestle wrote, Greek Red Cross nurse volunteers inventoried and weighed the kitchen contents of 128 Cretan households for periods of seven to 10 days, concluding that “olives, cereal grains, pulses, wild greens, and herbs, and fruits, together with limited quantities of goat meat and milk, game, and fish have remained the basic Cretan foods for 40 centuries, no meal was complete without bread ... Olives and olive oil contributed heavily to the energy intake ... food seemed literally to be ‘swimming in oil.’ Wine was consumed with the midmorning, noon, and evening meals.”


In the early 1960s Cretans had one of the lowest incidences of chronic disease and the highest life expectancy in the world; the Mediterranean Diet is based on what these families were putting on their tables in those years, wrote Nestle.


American physiologist Ancel Keys, developer of “K-rations,” was at Oxford University in 1951, and was invited by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to chair its first conference on nutrition in Rome. When Keyes asked a Roman physiologist about the new epidemic of coronary vascular disease, the Italian answered, “we don’t have that here.” Alarms rang for Keyes, and he scurried to the Mediterranean with his wife to take random serum cholesterol levels. He found olive oil running in their veins, metaphorically, except for members of the Rotary Club, who were eating a heavier diet of red meat. (Keys Ancel, Mediterranean Diet and public health, personal reflections, Supplement to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, volume 61, number 6(S).)


These observations moved Keyes to the Seven Countries Study, the first epidemiological longitudinal study linking diet to coronary heart disease. Keyes, who maintained a second home in Southern Italy, remained a lifelong advocate of the Mediterranean Diet: “The heart of what we now consider the Mediterranean Diet is mainly vegetarian: pasta in many forms, leaves sprinkled with olive oil, all kinds of vegetables, in season, and often cheese, all finished off with fruit, and frequently washed down with wine ... No main meal in the Mediterranean countries is replete without lots of verdure.”


Oldways Preservation Trust understood not only the nutritional legitimacy of the Mediterranean Diet but also its power to preserve cultures: by purchasing couscous and artisanal pastas from countries that hem the Mediterranean, a consumer helps preserve those cultural traditions.


But Oldways has expanded beyond the Mediterranean. Having developed “Heritage Food Pyramids” for different cultures — Asian, Latino, Vegetarian and African — Oldways hopes to remind or re-introduce these groups to foods and a way of eating that is their heritage, dishes that have sustained these people for centuries and from which they perhaps have been distanced. In response to National African Heritage and Health week in early February, Odlways ran programs in 15 different cities promoting the African food pyramid, and teaching its recipes.


Oldways works with consumers, health professionals, nutritionists, scientists, journalists, chefs, food professionals, and government policy makers. Oldways holds conferences, symposiums, and culinary overseas trips in which it introduces food professionals to “nourishing traditions around the world.” A recent trip to the island of Pantellaria introduced guests to the nutritional benefits of capers, for which the island is renowned. Capers, even in the small amounts that season meat or pasta, are a great source of antioxidants, flavonoids, and vitamins.


There are zillions of caper and pasta dishes that look more beautiful, with tomatoes and basil that aren’t in season now, but I think this pasta dish is faultless, piquant with that beloved Vitamin C and flavonoid duo, lemon and capers, the exact dinner to send a sharp elbow into winter’s side, and gain some Mediterranean points.


Linguini with capers


Ingredients


4 tablespoons olive oil


2 shallots, chopped


1/2 cup white wine


3 tablespoons capers, rinsed if salted, or drained from brine


juice and peel from two lemons


red pepper flakes


salt


1 pound linguini


1/2 cup parmesan or pecorino cheese


Instructions


Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add olive oil.


When the oil is hot, add shallots, and cook until softened.


Pour in wine, and reduce heat to a simmer for five minutes.


Add capers, lemon peel, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes, and swirl around in pan for a minute on medium heat.


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add linguini and cook accordingly.


Drain, reserving a few tablespoons of the water.


Add cheese to the lemon and caper mixture, and pour all over pasta.


Toss well, adding the reserved water. Keep tossing until all is blended and the sauce has become creamy.


Serve immediately. Add extra cheese if desired.


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Rockport resident Heather Atwood writes the Food for Thought weekly. Questions and comments may be directed to heatheraa@aol.com. Follow her blog at HeatherAtwood.com.


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Monday 11 March 2013

Oldways helps meals go Mediterranean

This month is a celebratory time for my family — my mother, father and brother all have birthdays. This year, between the cake and ice cream, I decided to give my parents a different kind of gift.

The gift of healthful food.

A Spanish study of 7,477 high-risk volunteers showed the risk of a first heart attack, stroke and death fell by almost 30 percent in five years for patients who ate a Mediterranean Diet with extra servings of olive oil or mixed nuts. The study, funded by the Spanish government's Instituto de Salud Carlos III and reported in the New England Journal of Medicine this week, highlights a style of eating championed for more than 20 years by the nonprofit, nutritional education group, Oldways Preservation Trust.

Oldways founder, K. Dun Gifford, had close ties to Massachusetts, having graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School and served as a legislative assistant to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. At the Oldways website, Gifford wrote about being inspired to create the organization during a 1987 visit to China where he experienced a "three-hour traditional banquet in the replica of the Confucius family home, during which an astonishing parade of 36 dazzling dishes and drinks expressed the Confucian ideal of harmony among earth, body and spirit."

With his business partner at Oldways, Sara Baer-Sinnott, Gifford co-authored "The Oldways Table,"a book outlining the approach, as well as listing recipes, nutritional information and essays about food and life.

The trust continued after Gifford's death in 2010, with a crammed-with-information website and educators conducting ongoing workshops about eating principles of the Mediterranean Pyramid of foods. These classes deal not only with what to eat but how to return to local, natural eating patterns, as The Washington Post writer describes in the story below.

- Gwenn Friss, food editor

African food. Food that held a close resemblance to theirs, except with less salt, with no coconut milk and mixed with other healthful, naturally grown fare that they had moved further away from eating since coming to the States from Guyana in the late 1970s.

"Back home, everything is organic," my dad said as we sat in my parents' Fort Washington, Md., kitchen. "Most of us back home have a garden."

Here, "everything is processed, packaged, with fertilizers and preservatives," Mom said. After more than 30 years as a U.S. citizen, she has had enough time to observe the food industry and change her eating habits to match it. That change was not always for the better.

Early on in my parents' house, most foods were fresh. After years of living in America and with Americanized kids, they slowly started taking shortcuts. More frozen vegetables, white sugar and fast food started sharing space with the brown rice, cantaloupe and homemade bread that they regularly kept at home as well. What was convenient became more constant.

My motives while visiting them one Sunday evening recently weren't purely to keep them aging well as empty nesters.

As part of a work assignment last fall, I spent weeks learning why it's unhealthful to boil collard greens to death, how to make Africans' jollof rice more colorful and nutritious, and why it's important to eat the food from my ancestral land: because the base of the murky, somewhat confusing label of African American is African. We may come with different heritages, such as African American or Afro-Caribbean, but we have the same beginning and often the same dietary palate and needs, ones that aren't always met through Western food culture.

Those lessons were taught by Tambra Raye Stevenson and brought to the District of Columbia by the nonprofit food and nutrition education company Oldways. My colleagues in The Post Food section urged me to take on another challenge: Would my parents eat, and possibly cook, the organic dishes Stevenson had taught me to prepare, opening their minds to a more African approach to food?

The endeavor would be complicated because I, African by way of a not-quite-Caribbean nation, was complicated.

I am the hyphen that sometimes appears between African and American.

Though my parents were born and raised in a South American country with a Caribbean culture, I was born on American soil; my linkage to the United States and its melting pot is embedded in the way I walk, talk and view the world, from music to art. My bond to Africa, though, is less tangible. It comes from the color of my skin, texture of my hair and knowledge absorbed through books and movies.

The middle ground that enables me to feel comfortable in both worlds, African and American, is often food.

After befriending many first-generation Africans at the University of Maryland in College Park, I quickly saw the similarities between their jollof rice, which includes a mixture of vegetables, tubers and sometimes meat, and my family's "cook-up rice." Our dishes were kin. We were family.

And as family, we share ownership of the statistics crippling our community: astronomical rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. The Oldways classes were supposed to work against those health risks by teaching students to eat fresh, which my parents often do.

For their meal, I bought fresh carrots, greens, onions and garlic. The necessary chopping meant, for me, a grueling two hours in my kitchen and a cutting board that may be headed to the garbage. But the food smelled and looked delicious. The next day, I arrived at my parents' house with several Tupperware containers. I was greeted by more fresh food: apples, pomegranate and avocado were on the kitchen table. In a bowl in the sink were plantains, eddoes (a member of the tuber family) and sweet potatoes.

"We making soup," said my father, his accent still strong after decades in the States.

My parents are always preparing something. Salted fish and bake (biscuit) for breakfast. Jerk chicken and cook-up rice for lunch. Dinner might be stew chicken and channa (also known as chickpeas), Caribbean chow mein or dry food, which is a kind of soup. Because the international aisle in most grocery stores is limited, Mom and Dad spend Saturdays jumping from store to store.

"We buy rice from the American stores," Dad said.

Whether I liked it or not, they fed me those carb-heavy meals for lunch when I was a child. They did not dispense Lunchables or the like for us kids. I can't remember anyone else in fourth grade who carried a Thermos with a hot meal daily, except on the few days when Mom gave me sandwiches made with homemade bread.

Cooking is a way of life in our family. To have their youngest cook for them is proof, in my parents' eyes, that they raised me right. It's right up there with going to college and owning a home. A life skill that demonstrates my successful transition into adulthood.

That Sunday, we sat down to dishes from two Oldways recipes: jollof rice with black-eyed peas and collard greens, plus my own baked tilapia. I explained how the rice, mixed with tomatoes and cabbage, was similar to the cook-up rice they'd grown up on, that I had used only a pinch of salt with the greens, and that most of the herbs and spices were fresh.

Their reactions were mixed.

"For a no-salt dish, the rice has a lot of flavor," said Mom, wearing a faded 1988 T-shirt with a map of Guyana printed on the front. "The onions and the cabbage add a lot of flavor."

But not enough for Dad.

"They don't use coconut milk in their food," he said. "That would add a little to it."

Two cups of coconut milk, a staple ingredient for West Indian dishes such as peas and rice and cook-up rice, contains 96 grams of fat and 890 calories.

Could he and my mother move away from coconut milk, or at least to the lower-fat version? Probably not; they don't think the latter tastes as good.

Could they exclusively use fresh greens and cut out the pre-packaged fare?

Mom: "Yeah, I'd buy more fresh ones if I could get it."

Dad: "I buy the frozen collard greens. . . . It's already cut and ready to use." Again, convenience wins.

Their favorite part of the meal was the tilapia, slathered in a store-bought, "100 percent natural" chipotle sauce. A serving size of 1 tablespoon of the sauce has 80 calories. I probably used five tablespoons on each piece of fish.

I guess transition takes time.

They both scoffed at the idea of taking a class to learn new ways to cook and improve their diet. ("We can cook!" Dad said.) But they were open to reading about it and trying it at home.

I might take another stab soon at getting my family to rethink some of our dishes. Right now, the one-meal-at-a-time approach seems best.

- - - - - - -

Jollof Rice With Black-Eyed Peas

Makes 7 cups of vegetable and 5 1/2 cups of rice (6 to 8 servings)

This version of a tomato-based West African rice dish can be served as a main course or as a side dish with fish. Adapted from Oldways, a nonprofit organization that promotes healthful eating and drinking.

14.5- or 15-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted, such as Muir Glen brand, with their juices

Water

2 cups uncooked brown basmati rice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups chopped yellow onion

2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced

About 1 cup chopped carrots

About 2 cups chopped green cabbage

2 tablespoons tomato paste, preferably double-concentrated

1 3/4 cups homemade or canned no-salt-added black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed (from a 15-ounce can; see NOTE)

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional)

Sea salt or kosher salt, for garnish (optional)

Drain the tomatoes and reserve them, straining the juices into a 4-cup measuring cup. Add water as needed to total 4 cups, then transfer the liquid to a large saucepan. Add the rice and bring to a boil over high heat; stir and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, until the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Add the onion and garlic; stir to coat, then cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the carrots and cabbage, tomato paste, drained tomatoes, black-eyed-peas, turmeric, thyme and crushed red pepper flakes. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low; cook for 4 minutes, until the mixture is thoroughly warmed through and the vegetables achieve the desired consistency. To serve, divide the rice among individual plates or transfer to a serving bowl. Spoon the vegetable mixture on top. Garnish with the parsley and salt, if desired. NOTE: To cook the 1 3/4 cups of black-eyed peas needed for this recipe, place 2/3 cup of dried black-eyed peas in a bowl and cover with water by an inch or so. Let sit for 8 hours, then drain and place in a medium saucepan. Cover with (fresh) water by an inch or so; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for about 90 minutes, until tender. Per serving (based on 8): 290 calories, 9 g protein, 53 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 7 g dietary fiber, 8 g sugar - - - - - - -

Spicy Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew

Makes 8 1/2 cups of stew

(4 servings)

This hearty mix of vegetables fills the house with delicious smells as it cooks. If you'd prefer to keep your okra looking green, steam it separately in the microwave just until tender, then stir it into the stew just before serving. Adapted from Oldways, a nonprofit organization that promotes healthful eating and drinking.

For the spice paste

6 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon coarse salt

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the stew and couscous

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

2 cups no-salt-added vegetable broth (may substitute water)

14.5 ounces canned no-salt-added diced fire-roasted tomatoes, such as Muir Glen brand, with their juices

15 ounces canned no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed

10 ounces frozen/defrosted okra, sliced (may substitute 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh okra)

1 cup dried whole-wheat couscous

Hot pepper sauce, for garnish

Cilantro leaves, for garnish

For the spice paste: Combine the garlic and salt in a mini food processor or spice grinder to form a coarse puree. Add the paprika, cumin seed, black pepper, ground ginger, allspice and oil. Blend for at least 15 seconds to form a paste. Transfer to a small bowl. For the stew and couscous: Combine the sweet potatoes, broth, tomatoes and their juices, chickpeas, okra and all of the spice paste in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then stir and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, then uncover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring as needed, until the vegetables are tender. While the stew is cooking, prepare the couscous according to the package directions. Divide the cooked couscous among individual wide, shallow bowls. Spoon the stew over the top. Garnish with dashes of hot sauce and the cilantro leaves, if desired. Serve hot. Per serving: 510 calories, 17 g protein, 102 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 730 mg sodium, 16 g dietary fiber, 14 g sugar
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