Healthy … and delicious - low-fat and low-sodium dishes - includes recipes - excerpts from 'Cooking for Good Health'

Nutrition Action Healthletter, April, 1996

Leave it to the food editors of Prevention magazine to find creative ways to cut the fat and salt ... but not the flavor.

This may be their best cookbook yet. The dishes have been designed from the ground up to be healthy ... and to delight your tastebuds with little strain on your cooking time or skills. Here are three in which beans figure prominently (we used canned beans that we drained and rinsed).

To order the 371-page hardcover, use the form on p. 15. $27.95 (Prod. #CGH).

THREE-BEAN SALAD WITH MUSTARD DRESSING

2 cupshalved young green

beans 1 cup cooked chickpeas 1 cup cooked kidney beans 1 large tomato, seeded and

diced 2 Tbs. olive oil 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard 2 Tbs. water 1 Tbs. chopped fresh basil

or 1 1/2 tsp. dried 1 tsp. honey 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper 1/4 cup snipped chives

To make the salad: Steam the green beans until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Place in a large bowl. Add the chickpeas, kidney beans, and tomatoes. Mix well. To make the mustard, water, basil, honey, and pepper. Process on medium speed for 1 minute. Pour over the salad. Sprinkle with chives. Toss well. Let stand for 20 minutes before serving. Serves 8.

PER SERVING

Calories: 90 Sodium: 147 mg Total Fat: 4 g Sat.Fat: 1 g (40% of clas.) Cholesterol: 0 mg Fiber: 4 g Carbohydrate: 12 g

HEARTY RED CABBAGE SOUP

1 Tbs. olive oil 1 large onion, thinly sliced 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 lb. red cabbage, thinly

sliced 4 stalks celery, thinly sliced 1/4 cup vinegar 1 Tbs. caraway seeds 6 cups defatted chicken

stock 1/2 cup tomato puree 1 tsp. ground black pepper 1/2 tsp. dried thyme 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 cups cooked Great Northern beans 1/4 cup non-fat yogurt or low-fat sour cream 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

Warm the oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Stir, cover the pot, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the cabbage, celery, vinegar, and caraway seeds. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the stock, tomato puree, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the beans and heat through. To serve, add a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and sprinkle with the scallions. Serves 6.

PER SERVING

Calories: 141 Sodium: 290 mg Total Fat: 3 g Sat. Fat: 1 g (19% of cals.) Cholesterol: 0 mg Fiber; 6 g Carbohydrate: 20g

RED SNAPPER WITH SALSA

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans 1/2 green pepper, diced 1/2 sweet red pepper, diced 1/2 cup diced pineapple 1/4 cup diced red onion 2 Tbs. lime juice 2 Tbs. orange juice 1 jalapeno pepper, minced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 Tbs. olive oil 1/2 tsp. ground coriander 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper 1 lb. red snapper fillets 1/3 cup orange juice 1/4 cup grapefruit juice 4 scallions, minced 1 tsp. grated orange rind 1 tsp. grated grapefruit rind 1 clove garlic, minced 1/8 tsp. dried thyme Pinch of ground red pepper

To make the salsa: In a bowl combine all the ingredients up to and including the black pepper. Cover and set aside. To make the snapper: Place the fish in a baking dish. In a bowl combine the orange juice with the remaining ingredients. Pour over the fish and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Coat a broiler or grill rack with no-stick spray. Remove the fish from the marinade and place it, skin side down, on the rack. Reserve the marinade. Broil or grill the fish about 4" from the heat for 4 to 7 minutes. Carefully flip the fish. Brush with the marinade and cook for another 4 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve with the salsa. Serves 4.

Calories: 248 Sodium:276 mg Total fat:5 g Sat. fat:1 g (18% of cals.) Cholesterol; 42 mg Fiber: 5 g Carbohydrate: 24 g

RELATED ARTICLE: Quick Dish!

Chop and saute in olive oil: 1/2 lb. mushrooms, 3 garlic cloves, 1/2 onion, a red or green bell pepper, and 1 tomato. Add the saute, along with a 15-oz. can of salmon (with the liquid), 2-3 Tbs. balsamic or red wine vinegar, and several chopped marinated artichoke hearts, to a half-pound of just-cooked fusilli or other pasta. Mix. Serves four.

Quick Dish recipe is not from Cooking for Good Health