Meaty Foods

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can help you ward off heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer. Include dark green, leafy vegetables, yellow, orange and red fruits and veggies, cooked tomatoes and citrus fruits. If you consume 2,000 calories a day, aim for at least nine servings or 41/2 cups of fruits and vegetables.

Try mangos and sweet potatoes. Mangos are high in fiber, have no cholesterol or saturated fat and are high in potassium and beta-carotene. They help replenish energy. Sweet potatoes are the most nutritious and heart-healthy vegetable, according to the National Center for Science in the Public Interest. They’re fat-free, cholesterol-free, low in sodium and high in fiber. Besides the great taste, the sweet potato is a wonderful source of vitamins A, C and E. Cumin is a good source of iron and cumin seeds promote a healthy digestive system.

Spring Salad with Chutney Dressing and Sweet Potato-Cumin Crisps

1 (9-ounce) bottle mango chutney (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream or mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro or mint

8 to 10 cups mixed spring greens

1 apple, thinly sliced

1 cucumber, sliced

Golden raisins and toasted cashews

Sweet Potato-Cumin Crisps

1 cup Bruce’s Sweet Potato Pancake Mix

2 teaspoons toasted cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon Bruce’s Ma Cayenne Red Pepper

1 cup water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Prepare Sweet Potato Cumin Crisps; set aside. For dressing, combine chutney, sour cream, yogurt and cilantro; mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. At serving time, toss greens with dressing and arrange on salad plates with apple and cucumber slices. Sprinkle raisins and cashews over each serving and serve sweet potato crisps on the side. Makes 6 servings.

Note: For a main dish salad, toss 3 cups of cubed cooked chicken with some dressing and arrange on plates with greens.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Spray an 8-inch nonstick skillet or omelet pan with cooking spray and place over medium heat. When pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons batter and tilt quickly to spread evenly. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes, then turn and cook on other side until golden brown and crisp around edges. Repeat with remaining batter, spraying pan as needed to prevent sticking. Place rounds in a single layer on paper towels after removing from skillet, then place in a single layer on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 325° oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp and dry. Cool before serving. Makes about 1 dozen.

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Paella is a saffron-flavored dish made with varying combinations of rice, vegetables, meat, chicken and seafood. Spain and the Catalan languages, paella means frying pan or pot. The traditional paella pan is flat and of large diameter, it can also have handles on each side.

In fact, paella is one of the most versatile dishes to make. Paella also has the advantage of being great to clean out the fridge and use up leftover meats and vegetables. Any combination will eventually be great the secret is in the chemistry. Spanish Paella is a dish that is generally made to feed several people. Moreover, Spanish Paella is quite flavorful the next day as the tastes have had time to mix together and become stronger.

Here are three basic steps to follow to make wonderful Spanish Paellas while leaving you the latitude to be creative and to make the dish their own by customizing it to their taste.

1. Preparing the rice.

Select a type of rice that you are comfortable using. Feel free to experiment but know that Spanish Paella contains a lot of ingredients and if you are unhappy with the end result with a particular type of rice, you might end up with a lot of waste. Basmati, brown or a mix with wild rice can add great taste and texture. Follow the instructions on the package with regards to washing and cooking the rice. Finely chop some onion, garlic and tomato. Heat a saucepan and add olive oil once the saucepan is hot (make sure that the oil does not start smoking. Burnt olive oil is carcinogenic and quite unhealthy). Once the oil is hot, throw in the uncooked rice. Frying uncooked rice gives it a nutty taste. Let the rice fry in the saucepan for a minute or so. Add the chopped onion, garlic and tomato until they soften, mixing constantly. Spice with saffron, salt and pepper. Feel free to experiment. Cumin, Cayenne various fine herbs or even a bit cinnamon or cloves can easily be added for a flavoring of your own. This mixture should not be on the stove for more that three to five minutes. At high heat with constant mixing, none of the ingredients should stick but they should mix well together and soften. Once all the ingredients are combined, remove the saucepan from the burner and mix in some frozen peas. Add enough peas to make a well balanced mixture.

2. Choosing and making the meat.

In a frying pan at high heat, brown some pieces of chicken. Upper thighs, drumsticks, breasts…it’s all good. Do not cook the meat completely but brown the outside. Once browned, set the meat aside. Lamb can also add great flavor to your Spanish Paella.

3. Combination of it all

Cover the bottom of the Spanish Paella pan with the uncooked rice mixture. Add the browned chicken pieces on top. Add uncooked shell fish and small fish filets rolled up and fastened with a toothpick or string. Use any type of fish but make sure that its flesh will hold well together. Pour some chicken broth on top (if the broth is warm the cooking time will reduce). Note that you can also add wine for more flavor. Cover the Spanish Paella dish and cook for about 45 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit or until the rice is fully cooked. At this point you can add raw shrimp or mussles and cook uncovered for another five minutes.

In short, the secret to preparing the perfect Spanish Paella is to make it your own!

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This is my version of the no-frills Egg Fried Rice. Super simple and serves 2 persons.

Ingredients

* 2 cups / rice bowls cold cooked rice
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* 4 shallots (thinly sliced)

Seasoning :

* 1 ½ tsp light soy sauce
* salt and pepper to taste

Garnishing:

* Chopped spring onions, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes

Method
Heat one to two tablespoons oil in a wok and fry shallots till fragrant and light brown. Remove fried shallots.

Whilst oil is still hot, add the rice and stir-fry well. Pour in seasoning and continue to stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Pour in eggs and fry until properly cooked. The rice should be coated and yellowish-brown in colour.
Sprinkle the fried shallots over the rice. Dish out and serve with garnishing.

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