5 A Day recipes

[Guest guest]

Each 5 A Day recipe contributes at least one full serving of fruit

and/or vegetable per serving of the recipe. These are official

recipes of the 5 A Day program and meet specific recipe criteria

developed by the Produce for Better Health Foundation in cooperation

with the National Cancer Institute. The criteria ensure that you can

enjoy a healthy and tasty dish that contains a generous amount of

fruits and/or vegetables and that is low in fat, saturated fat, and

cholesterol, and is not high in sodium.

Here are some of the recipes that I found:

Deep-Days-of-Summer Gazpacho

Serves 6

This classic summer soup is a delicious powerhouse of vegetables Ñ it

provides each person with about two and a half 5 A Day servings!

4 cups low-sodium tomato juice

1 small, minced onion

2 cups freshly diced tomatoes

1 cup minced green pepper

1 teaspoon honey

1 clove crushed garlic

1 diced cucumber

2 scallions, chopped

Juice of 1/2 lemon and 1 lime

2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Dash of cumin

1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley

Dash of hot pepper sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill for at least two hours. This soup

can also be blended, if desired. This is an official 5 A Day recipe.

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: Calories, 85; Fiber, 3 g; Fat, 3 g;

Cholesterol, 0 mg; Sodium, 29 mg

1 point per serving

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Vegetable Sandwich Booster

Think you don't have time to slice vegetables for your sandwich?

Prepare these marinated vegetables ahead of time, and keep them in

the fridge to bulk up sandwiches for up to three days.

1 medium zucchini

1 bell pepper

1/2 cup grated carrots

1 small red onion

1/4 cup red wine or balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Slice all vegetables thinly. Toss with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Add to sandwiches to help eat 5 A Day. This is an official 5 A Day

recipe, providing each person served with one serving of vegetables.

Serves 4

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: Calories, 52; Fiber, 1 g; Fat, 4 g;

Cholesterol, 0 mg; Sodium, 5 mg

1 point per serving

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Green Vegetables with Sesame-Ginger Dressing

Here's a delicious dish that you can make ahead, and make easily with

the microwave & emdash; a quick way to steam vegetables during the

busy holiday season! The fresh ginger in the dressing gives a zesty

boost to these old favorites.

2 cups green beans, cut into two-inch pieces (fresh or frozen)

2 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)

1/4 cup water

Sesame-Ginger Dressing:

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce*

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar*

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil*

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated (optional)

*Available in most grocery stores (usually in the Asian dry goods

section).

Whisk dressing ingredients together. Set aside.

Microwave fresh green beans with water in covered bowl on high for 2

_ to 3 minutes. Remove cover carefully, allowing steam to escape away

from you; stir green beans and add fresh broccoli florets. Cover and

microwave together on high for 2 minutes. (If using frozen green

beans and/or broccoli, follow microwave directions on packaging.)

Drain green beans and broccoli; mix in dressing while still warm. Let

vegetables chill in refrigerator until ready to serve (at least 5 to

10 minutes). This is an official 5 A Day recipe, providing two

serving of vegetables per person. Serves 4

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: Calories, 42; Fiber, 3 g; Fat, 1 g;

Cholesterol, 0 mg; Sodium, 317 mg

1 point per serving

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Ranch-Style Vegetables

Serves 4

You can use any combination of fresh vegetables you have available.

1 cup cauliflower, broken into bite-sized pieces

2 cups broccoli, broken into bite-sized pieces

3/4 cup sliced carrots

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons non-fat or reduced-fat ranch-style dressing

Fill a 1 1/2 quart microwave-safe dish with vegetables. Add dill and

lemon juice. Cover and microwave 5 to 8 minutes, stirring every two

minutes. Drain, mix in dressing, and serve.

This is an official 5 A Day recipe, providing each person served with

more than two servings of vegetables. Recipe taken from Quick &

Healthy Volume II, by J. Ponichtera, R.D. (ScaleDown

Publishing, 1995).

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: Calories, 49; Fiber, 3 g; Fat, 0 g;

Cholesterol, 0 mg; Sodium, 112 mg

0 points per serving

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Cool-as-a-Cucumber Soup with

Garden Peas & Cherry Tomatoes

1/4 medium-sized yellow onion

1/2 cup low-fat yogurt

1 cup non-fat sour cream

2 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced (see sidebar below)

1 cup cooked frozen peas

1 pint cherry tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Blend the onion, yogurt, sour cream, vinegar, and lemon juice in a

blender until smooth. Gradually add the cucumber pieces and 1 cup

peas in small batches, turning off the blender before adding and

blending until smooth before adding more. Blend until completely

smooth, and refrigerate the resulting soup until it's chilled.

Divide the soup between four shallow bowls. Divide the remaining peas

and the cherry tomatoes among each bowl, arranging them on top of the

soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. This is an official 5 A Day

recipe and provides each person served with about two servings of

vegetables. Serves 4

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: Calories, 138; Fiber, 5 g; Fat, 1

g; Cholesterol, 4 mg; Sodium, 131 mg

2 points per serving

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How to Score in 5 A Day

You may not be with your kids at every meal. But you can help them

eat right throughout the day, especially during busy spring sports

season, when it's so important to stay healthy and energized. Teach

them the importance of fruits and vegetables-five or more servings a

day-for better overall health. And send along some no-prep healthy

snacks for before and after practice:

¥ small apples

¥ seedless grapes

¥ mini bananas (also known as apple bananas)

¥ a container of cherry tomatoes

¥ a bag of berries

¥ orange quarters

¥ crunchy raw snowpeas or green beans

¥ dried fruit like cranberries and apricots

Don't forget to serve fruits and vegetables during meals, too-to add

nutrients and fiber to the " training table " at home.

Veggie Volley Bowl

Serves 6

When it comes to a low-fat, low-cost, all-in-one meal, this is a

hands-down favorite. Perfect for busy weeknights with after-school

practice, it''s ready in half an hour and nets two of the 5 A Day

servings.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 zucchini, sliced

1 eggplant, chopped into small cubes

1 15-oz. can chunky-style stewed tomatoes with herbs and garlic

1 15-oz. can white cannelli beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups white rice or 1 10-oz. box plain couscous *

Heat oil in a large saucepan or wok. Add chopped onion and cook at

medium-high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and

eggplant and cook about 5 minutes more. Add tomatoes, including

liquid, and beans to vegetable mixture and simmer until heated

through, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare rice or couscous

according to directions on box. Remove vegetables from heat and serve

over couscous, along with salad and bread.

* Couscous is a starch made from semolina that''s very fast and easy

to prepare. It is available in most grocery stores, near the rice and

pasta.

Nutritional Analyis per serving: Calories, 374; Fiber, 10.4 g; Fat,

5.5g; Cholesterol, 0; Sodium, 383 mg.

This comes in at 7 points per serving but look at all that fiber! It

is well worth trying and tastes remarkably good! cg

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Slam-Bang, Grand-Slam Dinner

Serves 4

This dish will not only hit a home run on flavor, it covers more than

one base of the recommended 5 A Day servings. Broiling and

microwaving let you slide it onto the table in less than half an

hour. And you can gain speed by scoring pre-shredded cabbage and

carrots at your grocery store's salad bar.

All-purpose dressing:

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin

4 boneless lean boneless pork chops

1 medium onion, chopped

8 red potatoes, quartered

Salad:

1/2 cup red cabbage, sliced

2 cups green cabbage, sliced

3/4 cup carrots, shredded (about 4 carrots)

1 green apple, chopped

Mix the dressing. Pour about one-fourth of the mixture into a shallow

bowl; reserve the rest for the cabbage salad. Dip the pork chops into

the shallow bowl of dressing, turning to coat, and then sprinkle each

chop with cumin. Place pork in a metal baking pan, cover with onion,

and pour dressing used to dip pork over the top. Broil for about 7

minutes, turn, and broil for 6 minutes more.

Meanwhile, microwave potato quarters for 5-7 minutes, then place them

under the broiler as the pork chops are being turned. Slice and shred

salad ingredients and toss with remaining three-fourths of the

dressing in a large bowl. Serve pork and potatoes along with salad.

Nutritional Analysis: Calories, 514; Fiber, 7.6 g; Fat, 17 g;

Cholesterol, 75 mg; Sodium, 369 mg.

The whole meal is 10 points, once again, tons of fiber. cg

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Pre-Game Pasta Blasta

Serves 4

For Little Leaguers and varsity athletes alike, this tasty honey-

mustard chicken with vegetables and pasta is a quick all-in-one meal

that counts as one of your 5 A Day servings.

8 oz. bow-tie pasta

2 teaspoons margarine or olive oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic from a jar*

1 medium onion, sliced

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth (use low-sodium broth if you

prefer)

2 cups frozen vegetable medley (stir-fry blend, for example)

Salt and pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese to garnish

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat margarine or olive oil in a non-stick pan on medium-

high heat and add garlic, onion, and chicken. Cook until chicken

browns and is cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Remove chicken

from pan and set aside. Add mustard and honey to pan; gradually stir

in broth and bring mixture to a simmer. Add frozen vegetables to pan,

cover, and cook about 6 minutes, until vegetables are warmed. Add

cooked chicken, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken and

vegetables over pasta and garnish with cheese if desired.

* Available at grocery stores, usually in the produce section. You

can use 2 cloves crushed garlic if you prefer.

Nutritional Analysis: Calories, 466; Fiber, 5g; Fat, 8 g;

Cholesterol, 64 mg; Sodium, 427 mg.

9 points per serving

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Layered Italian Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

4 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 green zucchini, thinly sliced

2 yellow zucchini, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

Basil Vinaigrette or Non-Fat Basil Vinegar:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 tablespoon olive oil OR none

8 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped, OR 2 teaspoons dried basil

On a serving plate, layer alternate slices of tomato, yellow

zucchini, and green zucchini in a stairway pattern so all vegetables

show. Mix dressing ingredients and add to vegetables. Add salt and

pepper to taste. This is an official 5 A Day recipe and provides each

person served with about two servings of vegetables. Serves 4

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving for Layered Italian Salad with Basil

Vinaigrette: Calories, 66; Fiber, 3 g; Fat, 2 g; Cholesterol, 0 mg;

Sodium, 16 mg

1 point per serving

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