Oven Roasted Cauliflower and Green Beans

You should listen when your mother tells you to eat your vegetables, because cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower pack a powerful nutritional punch. Not only does cauliflower have vitamins, minerals and antioxidents, but it contains a substance called indoles that fight cancer. As if that weren't enough cauliflower may lower cholesterol levels, combat stress and lower the risk of stroke.

All right so maybe cauliflower isn't your favorite thing to eat, but make the following recipe just once, and you'll never look at cauliflower the same way again. Oven roasting it with green beans results in a slightly crunchy texture and flavored with tumeric, a spice with antioxidents, it takes on a totally different taste.

• Large cauliflower, cut into equal size pieces with stem removed
• 1/2 pound green beans
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed in garlic press
• Adobo seasoning to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• Fresh cilantro, chopped

Now follow these steps.

1. Put cauliflower pieces and green beans in a large mixing bowl. Add all the ingredients except for the cilantro, and mix well.
2. Use a non-stick cookie sheet with sides or a large baking pan that has been sprayed with olive oil cooking spray. Spread out the seasoned vegetables out on the baking sheet so they are in one layer.
   
3. Bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 40 minutes.
   
4. After 20 minutes take the pan out of the oven and carefully turn over the vegetables making sure they are still one layer deep in the pan.
5. Bake for another 15 or 20 minutes until the vegetables are browned and crispy.
6. Before serving sprinkle the chopped cilantro over the vegetables.

This dish is great served with whole wheat pasta.

Passover Onion Dill Rolls

Just because it's Passover doesn't mean you have to revert back to eating foods made with white matzo meal for eight days. Even the Jewish food companies are waking up to the fact that their customers want to eat healthy whole wheat products during Passover. I'm going to give you a recipe for Whole Wheat Passover Onion Dill Rolls that is so delicious you might want to make it at other times of the year. In the bigger cities with large Jewish communities you can buy whole wheat Matzo meal, and that's what you will need for this recipe.

If you can't find whole wheat Matzo meal you can make your own by grinding large pieces of whole wheat matzo in the food processor. Many groceries now are carrying whole wheat matzo. Now with the whole wheat Passover products you can stay on a healthy eating plan and still keep Passover.

Passover Onion Dill Rolls
These chewy and delicious rolls make a filling breakfast during Passover or at any other time.

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Splenda sugar substitute
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole wheat matzo meal
• 4 eggs; I use eggbeaters for this recipe
• 1 small onion, chopped and sauteed
• 1 tablespoon fresh dillweed, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried dillweed

Please follow these directions.

1. Saute the chopped onions in a small skillet until browned and soft.
2. In a medium size bowl mix together water, oil, Splenda and salt.
   
3. Add the whole wheat matzo meal and eggs and mix well.
4. Add the cooked onion and dillweed to batter and mix well.
5. Wet your hands and form into rolls
6. Place rolls on cookie sheet that has been sprayed heavily with cooking spray.
7. Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for an hour until browned.

Makes 12 rolls.

Quinoa Curry with Peas and Pine Nuts

How to Travel and Stay on Track with Your Diet
Here are some tips so you'll come home as slim as when you left. Enjoy eating the food when you're away. After all one of the reasons for going to a foreign destination is to sample the local cuisine. Whether you're going across the globe or to the next state the same tips apply.

• Treat yourself to one or two desserts on your trip, and leave off the rest.
• For breakfast look for low sugar cold cereal and skim milk in the hotel dining room. Oatmeal is always a good choice, but leave off the sugar and raisins. Sweeten the oatmeal with Splenda and ask the server if they can bring you cinnamon to stir into your oatmeal.
• I bring whole grain crackers and unsalted nuts from home when I travel, and when I'm away I snack on fruit and crackers.
  
• When you have free time get some exercise and take a walk.
• Don't overeat on trips. You don't want to be sick while you're away.

Going to Parties Without Gaining an Ounce: Here's How.
Remember when I told you that you'll have to live in the world and deal all kinds of situations? There is a way you can go to parties and get through the holiday season without gaining weight, but YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN.

• Never go to a party hungry. Before you get dressed have a healthy snack so you're not starving when you get to the party. Have something substantial enough to take the edge off your appetite.
  
• Before going through the food line at the party check out the food and decide what you are going to eat. Be very selective about it. Boiled shrimp with a little cocktail sauce, roast beef and a big helping of raw veggies without the dip are good choices.
  
• Go for the fresh fruit. If you're maintaining your weight then have one dessert, but limit it to a once a week treat.
• Watch the drinking; alcohol contains a lot of sugar. Have one glass of dry red wine.
• After you go through the food line then walk away from the table.
• Enjoy socializing with people and smile when people tell you how fabulous you look.

The following recipe is from my upcoming book Eating Your Way To Healthy Living.

Quinoa Curry with Peas and Pine Nuts
My visit to Ecuador inspired me to develop this recipe when I got home. They served quinoa soup that was so delicious. You should be able to find achiote powder in the grocery where the Hispanic seasonings are displayed. If you can't find it then use paprika instead. This quick and easy dish is perfect for a vegetarian dinner.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup quinoa well rinsed in a fine sieve
• 1 teaspoon achiote powder. Use paprika if you can't find achiote powder.
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 zucchini, cut into slices
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 bunch scallions, including a little of the green stalks, sliced
• 1/2 cup unsalted pine nuts, toasted
• handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth

Please follow these directions.

1. Spread out the pine nuts on a tray and bake in a toaster oven on 325 degrees for 5 minutes or until lightly toasted. Watch carefully so they don't burn.
   
2. Heat the olive oil in a pot and cook the chopped onion and garlic in it for a few minutes until the onion is tender.
   
3. Add in the quinoa, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes while stirring often. Add 2 cups water, bring to a boil, and turn the heat down to low.
4. Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. After the quinoa has cooked for 10 minutes add the zucchini to the pot.
   
5. Cover and cook for 5 minutes more. The zucchini should be crisp at this point.
   
6. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of the curry powder, 1 teaspoon achiote powder, 1/2 cup water, vegetable broth, peas, scallions and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and cook covered over low heat for 5-7 minutes until the peas are cooked through.
7. Before serving add in the pine nuts and cilantro and stir. Spoon into bowls to eat.
   

Serves 4.

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Carmela's Indian Okra

Functional Training, a new way of getting in shape, has become popular and for good reason. Instead of concentrating on one set of muscles this workout uses multiple muscle groups in an integrated way to improve core strength, flexibility, coordination and endurance. This type of training enables us to do more work like carry a heavy bag of groceries up the steps; it works on balance so we aren't as likely to fall. It's important to stay strong so we can maintain independence as we age. Weight training; it builds more than strength. As you age you lose muscle mass, but weight training keeps muscles strong no matter what your age. Muscles burn more calories than fat, and this is important for weight control. You can work out when you travel. Many hotels have pools and fitness rooms, or you can pack exercise rubber bands and a thin exercise mat in your suitcase so you can work out in your room. It's a good idea to vary your exercise routine from day to day. I do a combination of weight training, core training and different types of walking. To stay motivated change your routine, and find the kind of exercise you enjoy so you'll stay with it. Combine exercising with socializing and family time.
You can make your own convenience food. You don't have to spend all your time in the kitchen every day to enjoy eating the wonderful creations in Eating Your Way to Healthy Living. When you have some time bake and freeze the muffins, pancakes and waffles to eat on a busy weekday morning. If you work during the week on Saturday or Sunday do a big shop at the grocery. Spend a couple of hours making two or three dishes and freeze them in portions. When I make a big pot of soup I eat it for a couple of nights and then freeze it in portions. If you build up a variety of frozen meals you can vary your food from night to night, plus you don't have to cook.
Here's how to cope with eating out and still stay on track with your plan. Be assertive in restaurants. Don't expect restaurant menus to always have the foods you need to eat, so you're going to have to be your own advocate for your new way of eating. Check to see how the food is prepared, and always ask the server to bring the sauce on the side. Instead of ordering mashed white potatoes ask the server to bring you two servings of vegetables. If you ask politely they will usually accomodate you.

The following recipe is also from my upcoming book Eating Your Way to Healthy Living.

Carmela's Indian Okra
This easy but scrumptious recipe came from Carmela, an Indian friend, who lives high up on a hill overlooking a gorgeous lake. I went to her house for a party, and my favorite foods there were the okra, lentils and rice. Be sure to use fresh okra in this dish.

• 1 pound fresh okra, stems cup off and sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 tabelspoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Please follow these directions.

1. In a large skillet cook the onions and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes or so until the onions are soft. Add in the tomato, tumeric, salt, and pepper and cook a few minutes longer until the tomatoes have lost some of their juice.
2. Add in the okra and cook uncovered over medium high heat while stirring often. When the okra starts to brown turn the heat down to low and cook covered for 12-15 minutes or until the okra dries out.
3. Stir every few minutes. Do not add water. It is important to the taste and texture of this dish that the oka is dried out. Serve with brown rice and lentils.

Serves 8.

Pomegranate Salad

This is a good time for you to branch out and try foods you haven't had before. Before I started on this low glycemic eating plan I had never heard of grains like spelt and kamut but now these are part of my diet. Dark chocolate with a minimum of 70% cocoa and natural peanut butter are also part of my plan. Once you lose your weight then you can eat whatever you want with moderation and still stay on track.
It does matter what you eat. There's a lot of diet confusion out there, so forget everything you've ever heard about diets. Don't kid yourself that what you eat isn't important because it is. The food choices you make every day help determine whether you are healthy or sick and how long you'll live.
This is what it takes to be a winner in the weight loss stakes: The National Weight Control Registry keeps records of people who have lost a minimum of 30 pounds and have kept it off for more than 5 years. Many of them have common stories of how they did it that will help you. Many of the winning dieters failed a number of times before finding a diet that worked for them. Be sure to find an eating plan that you can live with because this is going to be a lifestyle change. Eat a healthy breakfast every monring. Move more, sit less. All the winners in the Weight Control Registry exercised a lot. Calories and portion size count. Leave off the junk food and spend your calories wisely by eating nutrition dense foods. Fill up on fruits and vegetables. Eat the right foods, lower your calories, exercise more and you can be a winner too.
How to roll with the punches and stay with your plan: You have to live in the real world filled with food temptations and stress. You need to know how to cope with your new eating and exercise plan when life throws you a curve. Your child could be sick, you might have a big project due at work in two days, and family emergencies happen. Does this mean you should throw in the towel and dig into a piece of hot fudge cake just because right now you don't have time to exercise regularly or eat the way you should? If you can work in a 15 minute walk three times a week it will make you feel better. The main thing is to go right back to your healthy eating and exercising as soon as the crisis is over.
Eating right isn't enough; you have to exercise to get and stay healthy. You don't necessarily need to join an expensive gym to exercise. You can buy an exercise book, some good walking shoes and some dumbells and exercise at home and in your neighborhood. The point is to make exercise a priority in your life. Schedule 30 minute exercise sessions three to four days a week to start. Plan for exercise in your day; don't wait until you've finished everything else. I used to exercise to burn calories and to lose weight. Now I exercise to relieve stress, boost energy, improve flexibility and strengthen my bones and heart. My concern now is improving balance, muscle tone, endurance and being able to do more work and maintaining my independence as I get older.

The following recipe is from my upcoming cookbook Eating Your Way to Healthy Living.

Pomegranate Salad
Very seasonal and festive this salad makes the most of the luscious red pomegranates that are available in the fall. I used red pears which added more color but you can use any variety of ripe pear.

• 1 bunch curly green lettuce
• 1 bag mixed green and red butter lettuce
• 2 ripe pears, halved, cored and cut into wedges. Leave the skin on.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup crumbled low-fat feta cheese
• 1/3 cup pecans, broken into large pieces and toasted
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds from 1 pomegranate
• handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Please follow these directions.

1. Slice a medium sized pomegranate in half and cut each half into quarters. Fill a mixing bowl with water and gently pull out the pomegranate seeds under the water.
2. Drain the seeds in a strainer and discard any of the white rind.
   
3. In a large salad bowl put curly lettuce and the butter lettuce that has been washed, dried and torn into peices.
   
4. Add the pears, feta cheese, pomegranate seeds, toasted pecans and chopped parsley. Sprinkle in some freshly ground black pepper.
   
5. In a small bowl combine the olive oil, lime juice and Dijon mustard. Pour the dressing the salad and mix well.
6. I did not use any added salt since the Feta cheese is salty. Also if you use all of the lettuces you may have to double the ingredients for the dressing so you will have enough.

Serves 8.

Pasta Vegetable Casserole

Eating fats don't make you fat, but the wrong fats will make you sick. It's not how much fat you eat but the type of fat that counts. Fats are calorie dense, and although you can't indulge in a high fat diet if you want to lose weight, a moderate amount of healthy fats are essential for your health. The Good Fats: Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are the fats you should be eating, and you get these kinds of fats from nuts, seeds, fish and vegetables. Polyunsaturated fats contain essential fats that are hugely important to your health, but your body can't make these fats. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are only found in foods. These essential fats improve your cholesterol profile, lower triglycerides and reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease. For cooking olive oil and canola oil are healthy fats that work well. I like to use Smart Balance Buttery Spread for baking because it has no trans fats and it has a good taste. Be sure to use the regular version and not the light though. When you're baking and a recipe calls for butter use Smart Balance instead.
The Bad Fats: We all love ice cream, but eating a diet rich in saturated fat raises low density lipoprotein, or the bad cholesterol. Stay away from saturated fats that are found in meats, butter and ice cream, and avoid trans fats which are found in most margarines, meats, packaged foods and fast foods. Most bakery goods use trans fats.
Yes you can have coffee and dry red wine with this eating plan and still lose weight. Just limit yourself to one cup of coffee a day, and leave off the sugar. Use splenda if you want it sweet, and instead of cream use skim milk in your coffee. You can hae one glass of dry red wine a day if you want. It's important for you to enjoy eating and drinking within reason so you will be able to stay with this low glycemic eating scheme for life.
Snacking, what a great idea! Snacking is hugely important to your weight control efforts since it keeps hunger at bay, adds healthy foods into your daily intake and spreads out eating during the day. With snacks in the late afternoon and at night, this is a diet for eaters who love food. I usually have a piece of fruit, a couple of whole grain crackers with soy cheese in the late afternoon, and at night I'll snack on fruit and unsalted nuts. My late afternoon snack takes the edge off my appetite so I don't overeat at dinner.

The following recipe is also from my upcoming book Eating Your Way to Healthy Living.

Pasta Vegetable Casserole
Don't be put off by all the ingredients in this scrumptious vegetarian recipe. It is a perfect dish to bring to a pot luck dinner.

• 16 ounces uncooked whole wheat rotini noodles
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed in garlic press
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 12 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 5 large yellow crookneck squash, sliced
• 4 large zucchini, sliced
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 28 ounce can salt-free diced tomatoes, drained
• handful fresh basil, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Large container low-fat cottage cheese
• 26 ounce jar Classico Fire Roasted Tomato and Garlic Spaghetti sauce
• 1 cup part skim mozzeralla cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Please follow these directions.

1. Cook rotini noodles until they are al dente, or still a little chewy. Do not overcook the pasta. Drain pasta and spread the noodles in the bottom of a large baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
2. In a large skillet cook the onions, garlic, mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini, and green pepper in the olive oil. Stir often and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes until the vegetables are crisp tender.
3. Add the drained tomatoes, the thawed spinach that has been squeezed dry, salt, pepper, oregano and basil to the vegetables. Stir well. Go light on the salt.
   
4. Spoon the vegetables evenly over the pasta in the baking pan. Spoon the cottage cheese over the vegetables and smooth out with the back of a spoon. Put the spaghetti sauce over the cottage cheese and spread that out evenly with the back of a spoon.
5. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the spaghetti sauce, and finally sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.
   
6. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes until the cheese is slightly browned and the casserole is bubbly.

Serves 12.

Crunchy Broccoli with Sesame Seeds and Ginger

Whole grains figure prominently in the low sugar or Glycemic Index eating plan and with good reason. A nutritional powerhouse, they are packed with bran, fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other plant chemicals that boost your health. They're chewy and delicious and fill you up and not out. You need to eat carbs, but it's important for you to know the good carbs from the bad ones.
The Good Carbs are low glycemic foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes. They take longer to digest and keep blood sugar and insulin levels in check.
The Bad Carbs include all forms of refined sugar, white bread, white pasta, white rice, white potatoes, white flour and corn. We have already talked about how these bad carbs wreck havoc with your blood sugar and insulin levels.
Why are fruits and vegetables so important? Experts say to cut back on meat and chicken and to eat more fruits, vegetables and grains. Chicken, seafood, lean meats, eggs, healthy fats, low fat dairy products and nuts are all part of a healthy diet, but fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes are turly the stars of the show. Almost daily new research is touting the power of fruits and vegetables.
What does the new dinner plate look like? Fruit, vegetables and grains should take up two thirds of the plate with animal products like meat taking up only one third of the space. Think of the plant foods as the main dish and meat as a side dish with the protein on the plate being no bigger than a deck of cards. Nutritional experts suggest cutting back on red meat and eating chicken and fish instead. It is best to eat a variety of protein like tofu, nuts, dried beans or peas rather than just concentrating on chicken or fish.
The latest Dietary Guidelines from the Departments of Health and Human Services were released in 2005, and here's their lowdown on what we should be eating. They recommended we eat 6 1/2 cups of fruits and vegetables, several whole grain products and three servings of low fat dairy products a day. They also recommended that we should exercise for 60 minutes on most days to lose weight and 90 minutes a day to keep the weight off. I kow most people aren't going to eat that many fruits and vegetables, nor are they going to exercise for an hour or more a day. If you make small gradual changes in the way you eat and work in 30 minutes of exercise on most days that will be a great start.

The following recipe is from my upcoming book Eating Your Way to Healthy Living.

Crunchy Broccoli with Sesame Seeds and Ginger
Crisp cooked broccoli with an Asian flavoring really makes this recipe pop. It is quick and easy to make too.

• l large bunch fresh broccoli, cut into large pieces. Discard bottom third of the stalks.
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice or cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Splenda sugar substitute
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed in garlic press

Please follow these directions.

1. Spread out the sesame seeds on a baking tray in a toaster oven and toast at 325 degrees for 4-5 minutes until the seaame seeds begin to brown. Watch this carefully to make sure sesame seeds don't burn. You may need to turn down the heat.
   
2. In a large skillet cook the red pepper flakes, ginger and garlic in the sesame oil for 3 minutes over medium heat while stirring often. Mix together the soy sauce, vinegar and Splenda in a small bowl.
   
3. Wash broccoli well, cut off all but 2 inches of the stalks and cut the crowns and remaining stems into large pieces.
4. Add broccoli to the ginger in the skillet and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the soy sauce mixture to the broccoli and mix well.
   
5. Cover the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes over medium heat until the broccoli is crisp. Right before serving sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds over the broccoli.
   

Serves 6.