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Stove Takes a Holiday
Temperature soaring? Give yourself and your oven a break with this festive supper designed to beat the heat
Recipes created for Canadian Health by Steve Pitt
Nutritional analysis by Susie Langley, RD
The liquid salad Some people think a cold soup like gazpacho is bizarre, but you should think of this Spanish classic — to which we add a Latin-American accent — as a liquid salad. With the cold vegetables, olive oil and vinegar, it’s delicious and refreshing on a hot summer evening. For a more together look, cut the tomatoes, cucumbers, onion and red pepper into pieces roughly the same size — about 1⁄2-in. (5-mm) squares. Cut the avocado into 1⁄4-in. (3-mm) squares. For the Serrano pepper, you can use a Scotch bonnet, bird’s eye or jalapeño pepper, or 1⁄8 tsp (0.5 mL) cayenne pepper. — Steve Pitt |
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Spanish Gazpacho with an Avocado-Cilantro Twist
5 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 Serrano pepper, seeded and finely minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh garlic, minced
2 English cucumbers, peeled and diced
1 red onion, peeled and diced
1 ripe but still firm avocado, peeled and diced
4 cups (1 L) low-sodium chicken stock
2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp (30 mL) red wine vinegar
2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh basil, finely chopped
4 tbsp (60 mL) fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil
1. In a large non-metallic bowl, combine tomatoes, peppers, garlic, cucumbers, red onion and avocado.
2. Add stock, lemon juice, vinegar, herbs, salt, pepper and mix gently.
3. Chill 2 hours. Stir in oil and serve.
TIME SAVER: Buzz rough-chopped seeded and/or peeled veggies in a blender with liquids until smooth.
TIP: For less sodium, replace stock with low-sodium tomato juice.
Makes 4 servings
[Per serving 430 calories, 25 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 8 g fibre, 6 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 620 mg sodium. Excellent source of potassium, vitamins A and C.]
Priceless Pear
The avocado (a.k.a. alligator or butter pear), with its rough skin and smooth, velvety fruit, is native to Mexico and Central America. Derived from the Aztec word ahuacatl (testicle), it was considered a fertility fruit, and families would allegedly lock up their virgin daughters during the avocado harvest. Though high in fat, this fruit is rich in heart-healthy monounsaturates and in niacin, folate and vitamin A. It has 60% more potassium than a banana. One quarter contains about 80 calories, 7 g fat (5 g monounsaturates), 3.3 g fibre, 40 mcg folate and 244 mg potassium. — Susie Langley, RD
1. Combine avocado, lime juice and cream cheese in a non-metallic bowl. Blend until smooth.
2. Spread mixture evenly over 4 tortillas within 1⁄2 in. (1.3 cm) of edge.
3. Arrange chicken, sprouts, cheese and salsa evenly over mixture.
4. Roll up tortillas and secure with toothpicks at ends. Cut on the diagonal into three equal pieces.
TIP: To cut fat, omit the Jack cheese
[Per serving chicken-avocado wrap 430 calories, 25 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 8 g fibre, 31 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 717 mg sodium. Excellent source of calcium and potassium.]
Caesar-Shrimp wraps *
3 tbsp (45 mL) low-fat mayonnaise
1 tsp (5 mL) garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp (30 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) water
2 tbsp (30 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard
1⁄8 tsp (.5 mL) freshly ground black pepper
3 cups (750 mL) thinly sliced Romaine lettuce
4 8-in. (20-cm) spinach tortillas
8 oz (250 mL) frozen cooked shrimp, shelled, deveined, thawed, rinsed and patted dry
1. In a non-metallic bowl, combine mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, water, Parmesan, Dijon and pepper. Whisk until mixture is smooth. Add shredded Romaine and toss until lettuce is evenly coated.
2. Divide salad mixture evenly among 4 tortillas to within
1⁄2 in. (1.3 cm) of edges.
3. Dice shrimp and sprinkle evenly overtop of salad mixture.
4. Roll up tortillas and secure with toothpicks at ends. Cut diagonally into three equal pieces.
*Adapted from Rose Reisman’s Secrets for Permanent Weight Loss (Whitecap, 2006)
To Serve
Divide tortilla pieces among 4 serving plates, giving each person 2 or 3 pieces of each type. Garnish each plate with a little grated raw carrot, radish and beet, topped with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Makes 4 servings
[Per serving Caesar-shrimp wrap 240 calories, 7 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 115 mg cholesterol, 3 g fibre, 17 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 460 mg sodium. Excellent source of vitamin A and potassium; good source of folate and calcium.]
That’s a wrap!
Tortilla wraps are a welcome break from the tired old sliced-bread sandwiches most of us eat nearly every day. Tortillas now come in many exciting flavour blends and grains. If they are nice and fresh, tortillas fold easily. If they feel a bit stiff, warm them up two at a time in a microwave for about 10 seconds just before you add the ingredients. As for avocado, it tends to oxidize and turn black when exposed to air. A few squirts of lime juice will keep its lovely green flesh looking appetizing. — S.P.
Rad Root
Did you know that biting into a crisp red radish causes a chemical reaction that releases its pungent, peppery flavour? The taste is due to flavour compounds called isothiocyanates, also found in horseradish, mustard and wasabi. This edible root of the brassica family and cousin to the turnip is usually eaten raw and comes in colours ranging from pink to black. Once prized for its anti-scurvy properties, the radish was also used as a treatment for kidney stones and gallstones. Just 6 radishes (100 g) contain two thirds of the recommended dietary allowance for vitamin C, 280 mg of potassium and only 14 calories! — S.L.
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1. Place yogourt, peaches, milk, sugar and cardamom in blender. Blend until mixture is frothy. Add blackberries, buzzing just slightly so that berries are chopped but not completely absorbed into the blend.
2. Pour into glasses.
3. Sprinkle with pistachios and garnish with mint.
Makes 4 servings
[Per serving 100 calories, 1.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g fibre, 5 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 60 mg sodium. Good source of vitamin A, calcium and potassium.]
Tipsy Dairy
Fermented milk products such as yogourt, keffir and buttermilk contain bacterial cultures known as probiotics, believed to have major health benefits. Yogourt may help manage constipation, lactose intolerance, diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome, and may also boost immune function and inhibit allergy development. Look for yogourts containing active cultures or, better, ones with a billion live Bifidobacterium lactis cells. — S.L.
Lassi Come Home
India is renowned for its hot climate and equally hot cuisine. Small wonder it developed a refreshing yogourt drink called lassi. Originally a savoury beverage spiked with shallots, hot peppers, curry leaves and cumin, fruit lassi is popular today as a drinkable dessert. Tropical fruit such as pineapple, mango and banana make great lassis, but at this time of year, fresh Canadian peaches are in their glory. Add blackberries for fab flavour, cool colour and awesome antioxidation — the U.S. Department of Agriculture ranks blackberries among the 20 most antioxidant-rich foods. — S.P.
