Healthy Recipes for Memorial Day

Here are a few healthy recipes for your Memorial Day weekend plans.  Enjoy!!

Fresh Fruit "Sangria" (courtesy of American Heart Association)

Serves 4; 1 1/3 cups per serving

Ingredients

• 3 cups unsweetened cranberry apple juice blend, or 2 cups unsweetened cranberry juice and 1 cup unsweetened apple juice, chilled
• 1 cup sparkling water, chilled
• 1 small apple, such as Red or Golden Delicious, Gala, or Fuji, diced
• 1/2 cup raspberries
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 small lemon, cut into 8 slices
• 1 small lime, cut into 8 slices
• 1 cup crushed ice

Preparation

1. In a small pitcher or other container with a pouring spout, stir together the juice and sparkling water.
2. In a small bowl, gently stir together the apple, raspberries, and blueberries. Spoon into glasses. Place 2 lemon slices and 2 lime slices in each glass. Spoon the ice over the fruit. Pour in the juice mixture.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:  128 Calories; 0g Total Fat; 29mg Sodium; 0mg Cholesterol; 32 g Carbohydrates; 2g Fiber; 26g Sugars; 0g Protein
Dietary Exchanges: 2 fruit



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Picnic Slaw (courtesy of American Heart Association)

Serves 10; 1/2 cup per serving

Ingredients

• 8 ounces packaged coleslaw mix
• 1 cup matchstick-size carrot strips
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 6 medium radishes, thinly sliced and halved
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation

In a large bowl, gently toss together all the ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes to 1 hour for peak flavor and texture. 

Cook’s Tip: To prepare ahead of time, you can put the coleslaw mix, carrots, bell pepper, onion, and radishes in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Toss with the remaining ingredients 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:  34 Calories; 0g Total Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 133mg Sodium; 8g Carbohydrates; 1g Fiber; 6g Sugars; 1g Protein 

Dietary Exchanges: 1 1/2 vegetable

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Cherry Burgers (courtesy of Eating Well)
-Mixing dried cherries into ground beef reduces fat and increases antioxidants.

Serves 4

 Ingredients

• 1/2 small sweet onion, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, cut into thin rounds
• 12 ounces lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup dried cherries, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup coarse dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 whole-wheat English muffins, split
• 4 lettuce leaves

Preparation

1. Place onion in a medium bowl, cover with ice water and let soak while you prepare burgers.
2. Preheat grill to medium (see Broiler Variation).
3. Place beef in a large bowl and gently mix in cherries, breadcrumbs, garlic, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper until combined. Divide into 4 equal portions and form into 1/2-inch-thick patties. Make a slight impression in the center of each. (This is so the patties cook evenly and don’t puff up.)
4. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the patties until browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 160°F, 5 to 6 minutes per side.
5. Toast English muffins. Drain the onions. Assemble the burgers on the English muffins with onion slices and lettuce. Broiler variation: Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray. Broil patties 3 to 4 inches from the heat source until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 160°F, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Nutrition

Per serving: 431 calories; 10 g fat (3 g sat, 0 g mono); 65 mg cholesterol; 54 g carbohydrates; 32 g protein; 7 g fiber; 587 mg sodium; 175 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Calcium (19% daily value), Iron & Vitamin A (15% dv).
Carbohydrate Servings: 3
Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fruit, 3 lean meat

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Summer Berry Pudding (courtesy of Eating Well)

Serves 2; 1 cup per serving

Ingredients

• 4 small slices firm white bread, crusts removed
• 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• Pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Place a 1-cup (8-ounce) ramekin or similar-size dish on top of a slice of bread and cut around it to trim the bread to fit the dish. Repeat with the remaining 3 slices of bread.
2. Combine berries, sugar, water and salt in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until the berries break down, 5 to 6 minutes. Reserve 1/3 cup for garnish; cover and refrigerate.
3. Place 1 tablespoon of the remaining berry mixture in the bottom of each ramekin. Top with a slice of bread. Divide the remaining berry mixture between each, then top with another slice of bread.
4. Put the puddings on a large plate to catch any overflowing juices. Cover each with plastic wrap, then place a 15-ounce weight, such as a can of beans, on top of each pudding. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 2 days.
5. To unmold, remove the weight and plastic wrap, run a knife around the inside of the ramekin, and invert onto a dessert plate. Spoon the reserved berry mixture over the puddings.

Nutrition

Per serving: 252 calories; 2 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 56 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 8 g fiber; 299 mg sodium; 277 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (120% daily value), rich in antioxidants (anthocyanidins, ellagic acid).
Carbohydrate Servings: 3
Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 1/2 fruit, 1 other carbohydrate

Just Beet It, Beet It, Beet It....

Did you catch that?  Nope it wasn't a typo.  Today's blog is about that ugly red (and sometimes yellow) root vegetable you walk past in the produce section...the beet.  Growing up in a house full of beet-lovers, my sister and I used to complain when our Mom was boiling beets.  We used to say that it smelled like she was cooking dirty socks.  Our poor Mom had to listen to that every time she made beets...and let me tell you, she ate them A LOT!!  There was nothing worse than walking in the house on a weekend afternoon and getting a whiff of cooked beets.  Now, based on that you would think that I HATED beets, right?  I used to until about 5 years ago.  Ironic thing is now I can't get enough of them!!

OK, enough about my childhood trials and tribulations.  Let's talk about the nutritional value of the beet first.  The beet is on the top 100 "World's Healthiest Foods".  Beets are known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification properties.  This root vegetable can be completely consumed as you can eat the beet (also known as beetroot), the little bit of root attached to the body of the beet, and the greens.  Here is a chart that shows all of the nutrients found in one cup of sliced, cooked beets.

Beets, sliced, cooked 1.00 cup 170.00 grams Calories: 75 GI: med
Nutrient	Amount	DRI/DV (%)	Nutrient Density	World's Healthiest Foods Rating
folate	136.00 mcg	34.0	8.2	excellent
manganese	0.55 mg	27.5	6.6	very good
potassium	518.50 mg	14.8	3.6	very good
copper	0.13 mg	14.4	3.5	very good
fiber	3.40 g	13.6	3.3	good
magnesium	39.10 mg	9.8	2.4	good
phosphorus	64.60 mg	9.2	2.2	good
vitamin C	6.12 mg	8.2	2.0	good
iron	1.34 mg	7.4	1.8	good
vitamin B6	0.11 mg	6.5	1.6	good

As you can see, beets are an excellent source of folate, manganese, potassium, and copper.  Eating beets is another great way to get iron and vitamin B6.  You can click on each of the nutrients above to learn a little more about them.  As with any vegetable, the longer you cook/boil/steam/roast beets, the nutritional value decreases.  It is recommended to keep cooking time for steaming beets under 15 minutes and roasting time under one hour.  This will help maintain the integrity of the nutrients.

Now that you know a little more about beets, let's talk about what to do with them.  If you are a fan of juicing your vegetables, beets are a great addition to your favorite mixture.  Try grating raw beets and adding them to your soups and salads.  Here's a yummy recipe for 15-Minute Steamed Beets:

Prep and Cook Time: 5 minute prep; 15 minute cooking
Ingredients:

• 3 medium beets, about 3" in diameter
• 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or chopped
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 TBS balsamic vinegar
• 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

• Optional:
• 1 TBS balsamic vinegar
• 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 TBS chopped dill
• 1 TBS chopped chives
• 2 TBS Feta cheese

Directions:

1. Fill the bottom of a steamer with 2 inches of water.
2. While the water is coming to a boil, wash beets, leaving 2 inches of tap root and 1 inch of the stem on the beets. Cut beets into quarters. Do not peel.
3. Steam covered for 15 minutes. Beets are cooked when you can easily insert a fork on the tip of a knife into the beet. Although some of their colorful phytonutrients are lost to the steaming water, there is plenty of color and nutrients left in the beets.
4. Press or chop garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out their health-promoting properties.
5. Peel beets using a paper towel.
6. Transfer beets to a bowl and toss with remaining ingredients while they are still hot.

Serves 2
 
Be forewarned...beet juice will stain so use caution when peeling and cutting beets.  You can use a little lemon juice to help remove the stains from cutting boards and counter tops.  Add lemon juice and course salt to your hands and scrub gently to remove the "red finger" syndrome! 

If you are still looking for a few more healthy beet recipes, click HERE and you can check out some yummy ways to serve beets.  In the meantime, don't pass those dirty looking red vegetables the next time you are in the produce section.  Grab a bunch and give them a try.  You might find that they don't smell like dirty socks when cooking and possibly have a new veggie to add to your list of "must-haves".  Enjoy!!