Heavenly Hast - Recipe

Vegetarian Times, Sept, 2000 by Ken Haedrich

3. Add garlic and flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Reduce heat to low, stir in milk and cook uncovered, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in reserved potato mixture. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until hash is thick and saucy, 5 to 7 minutes. (If hash sticks to pan, stir in additional broth or water by the tablespoon.) During last minute of cooking, sprinkle cheese over hash if desired. Serve hot, garnished with sprigs of fresh parsley.

PER SERVING: 170 CAL.; 5G PROT.; 8G TOTAL FAT (3G SAT. FAT); 15G CARB.; 14MG CHOL.; 99MG SOD.; 4G FIBER

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

just beet it

The sweet flavor and purplish hue of beets make them a colorful addition to many dishes. But don't let the taste fool you. Even though they taste like candy and have the highest sugar content of any vegetable, one serving (3/4 cup sliced) has a mere 45 calories. Beets are also a good source of folate, vitamin C and dietary fiber. Just watch your clothes when you eat them since the betacyanin, the compound responsible for the bright red pigment, is also used as food coloring.--C.M.

KEN HAEDRICH is a food writer and the author of several cookbooks, including Feeding the Vegetarian Family (Bantam 1999).