Pasta with Kale and Walnuts



Whole grain pasta, kale, walnuts, a glistening of olive oil
and an optional sprinkle of finely grated Parmesan cheese.


When you cook a huge bunch of kale in season, there are usually leftovers.  Son #2 is a nut for kale and his tortoise "Zub" loves the raw trimmings.  Lucky for her (Zub), son #2 has planted three different kinds of kale in the raised organic planter beds he built in our backyard.  (You have got to check these out.  I will post pictures later).  As a project for his future career, he loves to experiment in our backyard and has planted lots of other good things that we will discuss in their season.

For today's recipe we are using left-over sauteed kale.   I think this is a sexy veggie.  It boosts everything....  well, you just feel good after eating it for a while.

serves:  6                    prep time:  20 minutes

6 ounces dried whole wheat linguine, cooked and drained
1 cup packed left-over sauteed kale (see previous blog entry)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Finely grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

While the pasta is cooking, chop the cooked kale into small pieces.  Likewise chop the walnuts into uniform chunks big enough to be picked up by a fork. 

Dump the cooked and drained pasta into a large bowl and add the kale and walnuts.  Drizzle with olive oil until moist and season to taste with salt and pepper.   Serve with optional Parmesan cheese.

As a side dish, it offers over 2 g fiber and protein, and of course it is high in essential vitamins and minerals.  I like this dish for its tasty heartiness and coming in around 100 calories per serving.

-  Kim Fielding

Sauteed Kale

Sauteed Lacinto kale

A large wooden display case was mounded high with dark leafy greens at Whole Foods this week.  For three dollars, one could buy two enormous bunches of collards, chards, and kale.  As a regular platelet donor, I can always count on my hemoglobin count to be high when I add any of these into my diet prior to giving.

Three different varieties of kale drew my attention this time.  We are partial to Lacinto (dino) kale, but they are all tasty.  Easy to prepare with a little olive oil and garlic, I like to use them as a bed for roasted fish or as a side dish with nuts added for meats.

serves:  6                    prep time:  15 minutes

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bunch kale, washed, stems trimmed off, and chopped

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic.  Cook for about 30 seconds, then add the chopped kale.  Using tongs, saute the kale turning often until it is tender and slightly limp.  Serve warm.

Kale is a form of cabbage in the Brassica family and is a super food.  Loaded with vitamins A and C, one serving has approximately 75 calories (fitday.com).  Brassica vegetables are known for containing sulforaphane, a chemical with potent anti-cancer properties.  It is also a source of indole-3-carbinol which seems to block the growth of cancer cells as well as assist with DNA repair in cells. 

- Kim Fielding

Ground Turkey Spaghetti

This super simple spaghetti sauce recipe makes enough for
two meals.  Freeze left-overs in a zip-lock bag and defrost
 in the fridge when you need it.

This sauce provides winter comfort and a quick and filling meal for busy families on the go.  Although I added just zucchini to the basic sauce, fennel, cauliflower, chopped dark leafy greens, kohlrabi, and other vegetables may be added to enhance this recipe.  Experiment with veggies that you know and like but also challenge yourself to try new produce.

serves:  8                    prep time:  15 minutes

                                  cook time:  45 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 package ground turkey, about 1-1/4 pounds

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cans tomato sauce

2 tablespoons dried basil

1 zucchini, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

In a stew pot, heat the olive oil and add the garlic and onion.  Cook for about 30 seconds then add the carrots and celery.  Cook about 3 minutes then add the ground turkey.  Break up the turkey with a spoon and cook with the vegetables until no longer pink.  Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried basil, and zucchini, and simmer 30-40 minutes stirring occasionally.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer another 5 minutes.

Serve over whole grain pasta with a side green salad and baguette croutons.  One cup of cooked pasta topped with one cup (or more) sauce provides approximately 450 calories, over 20 g of protein and about 8 g fiber.  The side salad adds another 125 calories and each crouton, made with sliced baguette and brushed with garlic olive oil, has approximately 55 calories.

- Kim Fielding



Happy New Year, Eat healthy, stay healthy: give a gift to your heart.

Most everything about the holidays is about food. Sure, there are lots of family gatherings, parties with old and new acquaintances, skiing, fireplaces, flights and airports, lots of laundry, and stress, but mostly holidays are about food. As a result, statistics show that most Americans gain weight during the holidays: somewhere from 0.4 to 5 pounds. Interestingly, overweight adults tend to gain more weight than people with normal weight.

Most people don’t have the willpower to resist the temptation of familiar tastes. Sweet, sour, greasy, crunchy, chocolaty, minty, alcohol: we serve our common temptations and then can’t stop eating. Cold weather doesn’t help. People crave sugary foods when they are cold. What can be better than a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows? Not sleeping enough and feeling tired also stimulates the appetite for calorie-dense foods. Snacking on nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and dark chocolate seems like a healthy thing to do, but those also are full of calories. The worst part is the guilt feeling and the remorse. Socializing for the sake of socialization without overeating and drinking is not easy but is possible. After having some appetizers, walk around with a bottle of water, or have sparkling water in a large wine glass. And maybe it’s too late to say this—but the only way to stop after one cookie is to avoid that first cookie. A tangerine is the best way to finish a meal. Just perfect sweetness. Evenings might be cold but during the day it is beautiful and warm.  Ask a friend for a walk, a bike ride or a long hike. That will be your holiday gift to your heart.

Potato Celery Root Mash

Celery root and golden potatoes

Golden potatoes and celery root are paired in this rendition of mashed potatoes.  The subtle flavors of the root provide a different take on the usual mashers.  Most recipes feature lots of cream and butter, but here we use mostly broth to keep this light.

Simply peel with a knife, and the flesh underneath is creamy white
with a delightful celery aroma and flavor.

serves: 6                    prep time:  15 minutes

5 golden potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 small celery roots, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons half and half
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to boil and add the potatoes and celery root.  Cook until fork tender and drain.  Add back to the pan and mash, adding chicken broth and half and half to moisten.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Each serving provides about 160 calories, over 3 g fiber, almost 4 g protein, and a good dose of vitamin B6, C, and elemental copper. 

Copper, along with iron, helps in the formation of red blood cells. It also helps in keeping the blood vessels, nerves, immune system, and bones healthy, and helps with collagen formation.  For copper to be properly absorbed, you also need to take in zinc and manganese.  These are trace elements and daily recommended amounts are easily found in the foods we eat.

The first time I tried this recipe, I didn't have a potato masher and had this bright idea to use a blender.  Don't do it!  The potatoes and celery root turn into a sticky goo.  Yuck.

- Kim Fielding

Chicken Noodle Soup

Hot soup on a cold day is the perfect tummy warmer.

Chicken noodle soup is the proverbial cure-all for whatever ails you.  You don't need to be sick to enjoy this version however.  The key to the success of this recipe is to cook the noodles separately and add them to the soup when serving.  That way the noodles don't get mushy. 

The basic ingredients for broth.

serves:  10                    prep time:  30 minutes
                                    cook time:  1 hour 15 minutes

One whole chicken, giblets removed
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
handful of parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon boullion (make sure it doesn't have MSG!)
Water
1 package egg noodles, cooked

Place the chicken in a large soup pot and add the carrots, celery, garlic, onion, parsley and boullion. Add water to cover all the ingredients (about 16 cups or just fill the pot to the top) and bring to a boil on the stove. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove from heat and let cool. While the chicken and broth are cooling, prepare the noodles and set aside.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and shred the meat. Reserve the broth with vegetables and adjust seasoning if needed.

When ready to serve, reheat the reserved broth. Place 1/2 cup cooked noodles in a soup bowl, top with 3 ounces chicken, and ladle the hot broth with vegetables over.

Each serving of soup offers less than 350 calories.

- Kim Fielding

White Bean Puree with Mesquite Oil




Similar to hummus, this bean dip comes together quickly in a food processor or blender.

 

My kids love hummus.  However, sometimes garbanzo beans become a little boring which is why we often make this with white beans.  Spread onto a platter or wide bowl and drizzle with the flavored oil.  Addicting!

serves:  8                           prep time:  15 minutes

1 can white beans, drained 

1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic

Squeeze of lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle of mesquite olive oil

Place all ingredients except mesquite oil in a processor and blend until smooth.  Adjust the seasoning and add more oil or lemon juice if desired.  Pour into serving dish and drizzle with the mesquite oil.  Serve with pita chips or veggies.

One serving of bean dip (not including crackers or veggies) contains about 125 calories, 6 g protein, 4 g fiber, and a healthy dose of elemental nutrients such as copper, iron, magnesium, and manganese.

- Kim Fielding

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To take or not to take supplements?

That is one of question in health tabloids a la mode these days.  And as always, it is not that simple. Nothing is obvious when it comes to general health, except for that too much and too little is always bad.  But that is true about everything, anyway.

               We ridicule people who present claims and statements that are not backed by scientific evidence. But behind that scientific evidence the evidence is frequently really weak.  Some medicines that are recommended for common diseases like osteoporosis and high cholesterol require a large amount of people to be treated to benefit only one or two, like 1 person out of 100 benefits from using treatment for osteoporosis or 1 out of 30-40 for preventing heart disease.  That one person is the lucky one but the others just get the side effects or take a pill for no good reason.  The reason for this is that we don’t exactly know, who will benefit,  and we treat them all with all of our good intentions.

               Same is for supplements. The science is weak and frequently flip-flops, making not only public but, also, doctors crazy.  Beta-carotene, vitamins E, folic acid, niacin were good for you five years ago, but now, “no more”. Just last week I recommended to the patient to take magnesium, she got home and called me right back after she saw that magnesium might cause I can't remember what, to which I recommended to her not to go with my recommendation. Internet is the greatest source of confusion.  I tried to look up what was wrong with magnesium and still couldn't find but I'm sure something was there.  Another "doesn't make any sense" example that I see pretty much every day is that the sickest middle age people I have in my practice eat only organic foods and take all the "recommended" supplements. I'm pretty sure that there is no correlation between the two, but the obvious message is - the supplements and organic foods do not bring their health back.

               There are three major factors that impact our health:  genetics, age and environment. Until we know our genetics, and as long as we remember our age, we have impact only on our environment.   But when the equation has three variables: one somewhat unknown, the other one relatively stable but impossible to change, we can full around only with our eating, drinking, activities and exercise. What about supplements?  Eat healthy, exercise and take vitamin D, not too much and not too little: 1000 u of D3 will do it for most people.

Sugar Addiction and Beyond

I’m going to give you compelling evidence that there is practically not a lot of difference between sugar and heroin:

- Both come from nature and are derived from plants; heroin from the opium poppy, sugar from sugar beets or sugar cane.

- Both undergo excessive chemical manipulation to get to its final product. 90% of nutrients, water, fiber and protein are removed from sugar beets and sugar cane to turn it into sugar. Heroin is derived from the opium poppy, but to turn it into morphine it has to go through extensive chemical modification.

- Both cause addiction: for heroin about 14 million people and sugar about 1.5 billion worldwide.

- Both cause dependence, craving and withdrawals.

- Both coincide with depression or emotional distress.

- Both cause death: heroin about 600 people per year in the USA, sugar about 300,000.

- Both are used in medicine for medicinal purposes. Morphine is derived from opium and used to alleviate pain. Sugar is used in intravenous fluids for a variety of conditions.

When imaging studies are done in addicts to heroin or sugar, they light up the same locations in the brain, an area called the orbitofrontal cortex: the part of the brain located behind the eyes and among other things is responsible for decision-making.

The key similarity of the two addictions lies in the behavior of the addicts: despite clear knowledge that the use of those substances comes with unpleasant and somewhat deadly consequences, people continue to use those. This also true about alcohol, smoking and gambling, but only gambling acts through exactly the same circuits as sugar and heroin. There is a perceived difference between those two. We can live without heroin but we need sugar for our bodily functions. False! We don’t need sugar per se; we need glucose that we can get from all sorts of foods without any chemical manipulations. Fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes contain plenty of sugar that we can use for thinking, breathing, exercising, and all the other important functions. Honey, molasses, and maple syrup in small amounts will do the job of bringing the sweet taste. What about organic or brown sugar? No different. Just like salt, sugar should be used as a spice and not as an ingredient. So, if heroin of course should not be used at all, sugar can be used as a spice and, as far as I’m concerned, should be sold in spice containers.

I’m certainly not the first person with revelations about sugar addiction. In 1975, William Duffy, released his book “Sugar Blues” which has sold more than 1.5 million copies. There are other books revealing the sugar addiction. Around the time that Duffy’s book became popular, the US changed its “sweetheart” from sugar to high fructose corn syrup. We didn’t abandon sugar, but we just slightly backed off that to the creative genius of the manufacturers. If in 1980, the average person ate 39 pounds of fructose and 84 pounds of sugar (total of 123 lb.), in 2004 the average person consumed 83 pounds of fructose and 66 pounds of sucrose (total of 149 lb). Speaking of ubiquitous – high fructose corn syrup penetrated into 90% of supermarket produce. Is it a mystery why we have an epidemic of obesity? Duh! In the interest of brevity, I suggest two quick solutions:

- Get most of your food from Farmer’s market.

- Read the labels: Buy only foods with few ingredients, preferably without sugar, high fructose corn syrup in it (also don’t forget partially hydrogenated oil and artificial colorings). If sugar is listed, make sure it is toward the end of the ingredient list.

- Dr. Mariam Manoukian