Author: Carroll

Tuscan Saucy Beans 

Carroll

It’s time to embrace our heart health! Show your heart the love it deserves by staying active and eating a healthy, balanced diet. This includes plenty of plant-based foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains and legumes; lean proteins like fish, skinless poultry and low-fat dairy; and heart-healthy fats, which include olive oil, avocado oil, and whole nuts and seeds. The American Heart Association has an excellent example of what a healthy plate could include: The Deliciously Balanced Plate (heart.org) If you want to include more heart-healthy foods on your plate, this recipe comes together in 10 minutes and makes an excellent lunch or dinner. Serve with some veggies or crusty bread. –Dana Mealing, RDN, LDN, CIEC, Tevis Center for Wellness community nutrition educator

Ingredients:  

  • 1-2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • ½ pint cherry tomatoes
  • ¼ cup low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes 
  • 1 15oz can low sodium butter beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 Tbs hummus
  • 2 cups spinach
  • Zest of ½ lemon
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Over medium heat, heat the olive oil then add the garlic. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Stirring to avoid burning. Add the tomatoes, crushed red pepper and cook for another minute. Add ¼ cup of veg broth, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for another 3 minutes. Crush the tomatoes as they cook and soften. Add the humus and lemon juice; stir to combine. Mix in the spinach and beans. Cook the spinach until wilted. Add lemon zest, maple syrup, and salt and pepper to taste. Makes 3 servings.

Nutrition Facts:  
Serving size:  ¾ cup 
Calories: 224; Fat: 8.6g ; Sat. Fat: 1.2g; Carbs: 27.7g; Fiber: 7.6g; Protein: 8.8g; Sodium: 529mg 

Recipe adapted from https://cookingforpeanuts.com/creamy-butter-beans/#recipe

Iron Boost Borscht

Carroll

January is National Blood Donation Month! This time of year, we encourage anyone who can donate blood to do so. It’s also soup season, and this recipe celebrates both! Many people get turned away from making a donation because they have low iron levels in their blood. Low iron can manifest a variety of symptoms such low energy, pale appearance, difficulty focusing or difficulty regulating body temperature.

Certain populations are at higher risk of developing iron deficiencies include those who menstruate or are pregnant, children and infants, frequent blood donors, and people with heart failure or cancer. This recipe includes two iron-rich foods, beets and beef. You can get even more iron in this meal by cooking it in a cast iron Dutch oven. 

Interested in donating blood? Here are the requirements for blood donations from the American Red Cross: Blood Donation Eligibility Requirements | Red Cross Blood Services  –Dana Mealing, RDN, LDN, CIEC, Tevis Center for Wellness community nutrition educator

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Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

Carroll

Squash season is here! This is a great recipe that can help sneak in some additional vegetables onto the dinner plate, and you can substitute any winter squash in this recipe. Try it with pumpkin, acorn squash, honeynut, delicatas or really any mystery gourd at the farm stand. Side note: You can eat any winter squash, which is always my excuse to buy some fun gourds!

Winter squash is a great source of many vitamins and minerals but it’s a great source of beta carotene, which is a precursor to vitamin A. Winter squashes are also high in vitamin C, B6, magnesium and fiber.  –Dana Mealing, RDN, LDN, CIEC, Tevis Center for Wellness community nutrition educator

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Perfectly Roasted Eggplant

Carroll

Eggplant can be a challenging vegetable to cook. If it’s not cooked right, you get the equivalent to an oil-soaked chunk of memory foam, but cooked correctly, you get the most savory, soft, creamy vegetable you could imagine. Eggplant is also a great vegetable to add to your diet because its nutrient dense with about 3 grams of fiber for 1 cup, an excellent source of potassium, and the skin is rich in anthocyanins, which can help reduce inflammation, and may help improve cardiovascular health. I strongly encourage you to try eggplant, and this is a great starter recipe. –Dana Mealing, RDN, LDN, CIEC, Tevis Center for Wellness community nutrition educator

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Light Lemon Cod

Carroll

We hear a lot of talk about omega 3 fatty acids and salmon, but cod is another excellent source of these heart-healthy, anti-inflammatory essential fatty acids. Cod has a soft but firm texture, and a mild flavor that has a hint of sweet to it. It’s also a great lean protein and an excellent source of B12. Cod also tends to be a lower mercury fish. If you have concerns about the contaminants in your fish, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does provide a watch list for recreationally caught fish, which are linked below. –Dana Mealing, RDN, LDN, CIEC, Tevis Center for Wellness community nutrition educator

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