BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS, THINK LIGHT
from the American Institute for Cancer Research

The holiday feasting season is upon us. In anticipation of Thanksgiving dinner, seasonal parties and holiday meals, a few quick, light recipes are good to have on hand.

It’s also fennel season, so it’s a good chance to incorporate this aromatic vegetable into your diet. It pairs well with many vegetables and fruits. A salad made with fennel and oranges, peppery arugula, red onion and black olives is a refreshing but flavorful relief from the excesses of the season.

Fennel looks a little like celery, and its feathery fronds are sometimes confused with dill. Both the bulb and stems may be eaten raw or cooked.

The bulb of the plant is fragrant and has a delicate, licorice flavor. It is also called by its Italian name, finocchio, or anise. The flavor is a good complement to many foods, particularly salads and fish. But don’t be scared off if you don’t like licorice.

Fennel has a sweeter, more delicate flavor that becomes even lighter when cooked. Fennel contains vitamin C and beta carotene, a powerful antioxidant believed to help reduce the risk of cancer, enhance immunity and prevent cataracts.

When shopping for fennel, look for bulbs with no discoloration, firm stalks and bright green fronds.

Cut the stalks off across the top of the bulb where it turns white. The leafy fronds can be saved to flavor sauces and broths, or can be used as garnish. Slice off the root end of the bulb and peel away the tough outer layers. If using fennel raw, slice the bulb into thin wedges or slices. To grill or roast, halve the bulb vertically and you will see a triangular, hard core. Using a small, sharp knife, cut out most of the core, leaving enough to keep the layers attached while cooking.

Fennel and Orange Salad
 

Make a bed of arugula on each of 4 salad plates. Arrange one-fourth of the orange slices over arugula on each plate.

Cut away feathery tops of fennel at base of round stalks and discard. Slice off bottom of bulb, remove tough outer layer of bulb and discard both. Cut bulb in half vertically. Using a very sharp knife, cut each half crosswise into very thin slices. Arrange over orange slices.

Separate onion slices into rings and arrange over fennel. Add olives. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. In a small bowl, whisk oil with orange juice and zest. Drizzle dressing over each salad. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 142 calories, 7 g. total fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 19 g. carbohydrate, 2 g. protein, 6 g. dietary fiber, 228 mg. sodium.
 

LEFTOVER TURKEY CAN BE WELCOMED
from the American Institute for Cancer Research

In just a few weeks, you’ll have more leftover turkey than you know what to do with. It’s a good time to start collecting recipes that give you an alternative to endless turkey sandwiches.

Cooked turkey stashed in the freezer can be a welcomed sight during the hectic weeks after Thanksgiving. You can toss it with pasta and vegetables, add it to a main course salad, or do all kinds of creative things combining it with other ingredients for a one-dish meal.

The mild flavor of turkey makes it a good choice for many cooking styles and ethnic cuisines. Most seasonings and sauces go well with turkey. So you can make an Italian spaghetti sauce, a Mexican taco, an Indian curry, or an Asian stir-fry.

A good, healthful way to use leftover turkey is the base for a casserole. With a whole grain, you can make a flavorful and rich-textured but healthful one-dish meal.

You might start with barley – a grain that’s been popular since the Stone Age. A single cup of this easy-to-prepare grain contains eight grams of fiber – the same amount of fiber found in seven cups of white rice. Barley also is rich in protein, potassium, calcium, iron and B vitamins.

Barley’s nutty flavor goes well with onions, mushrooms, or peas. Butternut squash also is a good complement. This large, pear-shaped winter squash has sweet, orange flesh. With onion, green pepper and sage, you’ll be glad you had turkey leftovers.

Barley, Turkey and Butternut Squash Casserole
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 4-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large pot of rapidly boiling water, boil squash halves 5 minutes or until not quite tender. Drain. When cool enough to handle, scoop flesh from each half and dice. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add green pepper, onion and diced squash. Sauté 3 minutes. Add sage and pepper and stir to coat. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add barley and return to boil.

Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 10 minutes, until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. Mix in diced turkey. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and top with feta cheese. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes, or until cheese is golden.

Makes 6 servings.

*Most supermarkets and health food stores carry quick-cooking barley.

Per serving: 275 calories, 5 g. total fat (2 g. saturated fat), 42 g. carbohydrate, 18 g. protein, 10 g. dietary fiber, 368 mg. sodium.
 

A HAPPY MARRIAGE OF NUTS AND VEGETABLES
from the American Institute for Cancer Research

Most cooks have favorite Thanksgiving vegetable recipes – ones treasured from childhood or acquired through marriage. But every now and then, it’s nice to try something different.

One traditional holiday vegetable is green beans with toasted almonds. This year, try a variation with broccoli and hazelnuts.

Nuts are packed with nutrients. Just one ounce supplies two or three grams of fiber and four to seven grams of protein, similar to about one slice of cheese, but with about two-thirds less saturated fat. Some nuts, like hazelnuts, almonds and peanuts, are a good source of vitamin E, while walnuts are a good source of health-promoting omega-3 fat.

Hazelnuts – also called filberts – grow in clusters on trees in temperate zones around the world. Italy, Spain, France and Turkey produce the most hazelnuts and, until the 1940s, the United States imported most hazelnuts. Now they're now grown in Oregon and Washington.

They have a sweet, rich flavor and can be used chopped, ground and whole in both sweet and savory dishes.

Pairing nuts with vegetables provides a double dose of nutrition.

Broccoli, like other cruciferous vegetables including cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, cabbage, kale and watercress, contain several compounds that seem to help prevent cancer from developing. Laboratory tests show that these substances boost enzymes that detoxify carcinogens before they damage DNA and start the cancer process.
They also stimulate the death of colon cancer cells.
 

Cruciferous vegetables contain substances, called indoles, which seem to offer extra help against breast and perhaps other hormone-related cancers. In a study of Swedish women, those who ate cruciferous vegetables most often had about 24 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those who ate them the least.

The American Institute for Cancer Research encourages making cruciferous vegetables a part of a healthful diet because they may play an important role in stopping cancer before it starts.

Broccoli with Hazelnuts

In a small skillet, toast hazelnuts over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned. Set aside.

In a large pot of boiling water, add broccoli and blanch for 4 minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain.

In a large bowl, combine oil, scallions, garlic and soy sauce. Add broccoli and toss well. Top with hazelnuts. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 54 calories, 3 g. total fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 5 g. carbohydrate, 3 g. protein, 3 g. dietary fiber, 88 mg. sodium.

IT'S WELL WORTH TAMING WILD RICE
from the American Institute for Cancer Research

Wild rice is not rice at all. It is a grass seed with a rich, nutty flavor that is a welcomed guest at the autumn table.

Native to the Great Lakes area, truly wild rice is still harvested by local Native Americans and sometimes called Indian rice. Because gathering wild rice is so labor intensive, it has always been expensive. Now, however, cultivated wild rice is being produced in California and some Midwest states, and the price is lower.

It’s important to clean wild rice thoroughly before cooking it. The best method is to place the rice in a large saucepan and fill it with cold water. Stir it several times and set aside for a few minutes. Any debris will float to the surface and the water can then be poured off. Depending on the method used, wild rice can take up to an hour to cook. Taste-test to make sure the kernels are completely tender, but not too soft.

In addition to being high in protein, wild rice contains the phytochemical called phytic acid, which, in lab and animal studies, appears to slow formation of cancers as well as help control blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides.

Wild Rice Stuffing with Portobello Mushrooms

Heat a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Pour in 1 tablespoon oil and heat until very hot. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is translucent and mixture is golden. Add 4 1/2 cups broth and bring to a boil.

Add wild rice, reduce heat to simmer, cover pot and simmer 25 minutes. Add brown rice and remaining broth. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and simmer until both rices are barely tender, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large, non-stick pan over high heat until hot. Add 2 teaspoons oil and heat until very hot. Add mushrooms. Stirring constantly, sauté – in batches, if necessary, to prevent overcrowding and “weeping” of the mushrooms, which prevents browning. (Transfer each finished batch to a bowl and continue, using a little more oil each time, until all mushrooms are sautéed.)

When rice is almost tender, mix in parsley, sage, green onion and nuts. Cover and cook on low heat about 5 minutes longer, or until onion is soft and rice is tender.

Remove pot from heat, uncover and allow rice to cool slightly. Stir in mushrooms until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste and more sage, if desired. Garnish with nuts, if desired.

Serve immediately or store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Makes about 11 cups of stuffing or 22 one-half cup servings.

Per serving: 140 calories, 5 g. total fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 22 g. carbohydrate, 5 g. protein, 3 g. dietary fiber, 223 mg. sodium.

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SALMON AND CRANBERRIES MAKE A LOVELY COUPLE
from the American Institute for Cancer Research

After the rich foods of Thanksgiving, a nice piece of fish sounds very appealing. And you can use up the last of the cranberry sauce at the same time, for a quick, easy, delicious dinner.

The slight tartness of cranberry sauce nicely complements the rich flavor of fatty fish such as salmon.

Salmon is a particularly good source of omega-3 fat, a polyunsaturated fat with two major benefits – it doesn't raise blood cholesterol, and it seems to have health-promoting powers that lower the risk of heart disease and possibly cancer. Only certain fish are a good source of omega-3 fats: salmon, mackerel, herring, white (albacore) tuna and sardines.

Salmon also are high in protein and rich in vitamin A and the B vitamins.

When buying salmon, there is often a choice between farm-raised and wild, as well as between Pacific and Atlantic varieties. Atlantic salmon is always farm-raised. It is also mostly grain-fed, which produces a fish that is moister and fattier than Pacific salmon. Atlantic salmon is farmed in Chile, Western Canada and Washington State, as well as in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Most Pacific salmon is from Alaska and available in a number of varieties.

Cranberries are abundant this time of year, so even if you don’t have any leftover cranberry sauce, it won’t be difficult to make some.

Fresh cranberries are usually sold in 12-ounce bags, which makes about three cups when chopped. Select bags with cranberries that look plump and unblemished. You can refrigerate bagged cranberries, tightly wrapped, for two months, or freeze them, unopened, for up to nine months. (If a recipe calls for frozen cranberries, thaw the fruit just before using, to retain crispiness.) Before cooking, rinse cranberries in cold water and remove stems and any bruised fruit.

Studies show that eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables every day is key to better health. Cranberries are rich in fiber, vitamin C, flavonoids and other substances that help protect against chronic health diseases, like cancer.

Cranberry Salmon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with oil.

In a medium bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons mustard together. Place salmon on foil-covered baking sheet, skin side down, and salt and pepper to taste. Brush salmon with 2 tablespoons of oil-mustard blend, then discard the mixture, as it could be contaminated by the uncooked fish. Roast until salmon is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk cranberry, shallots and vinegar with the remaining oil and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set sauce aside.

When fish is cooked through, remove from oven. Preheat broiler. Broil fish until tops of fillets begin to brown, under a minute.

Transfer fish to plates, spoon sauce over fillets, serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 351 calories, 17 g. total fat (2 g. saturated fat), 15 g. carbohydrate, 33 g. protein, less than 1 g. dietary fiber, 216 mg. sodium.

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AICR offers a Nutrition Hotline (1-800-843-8114) Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, a free service that allows you to ask a registered dietitian questions about diet, nutrition and cancer. The American Institute for Cancer Research is the only major cancer charity focusing exclusively on the link between diet, nutrition and cancer. The Institute provides a range of education programs that help millions of Americans learn to make changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S. The Institute has provided more than $65 million in funding for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR’s Web address is www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.

 

_{Copyright © 2005 Ann Hall Every, CCP}