Feasting Fancies© Nutrition 2

Sep 18, 2008 by Ralph Lupoli

I think this subject is important enough to pursue. Let’s explore the different food groups and find interesting ways of using each group to its delicious best. I’m sure we will find that the groups will overlap and come together to achieve some wonderful results.

Let review; Grains, Vegetables, Fruits, Milk and Meat and Beans are the five food groups in the new Food Pyramid. We need to eat 6 ounces, from the Grains group each day. We must have at least 2 ½ cups of Vegetables and 2 cups of Fruit each day. We need to drink 3 cups of Milk or calcium rich foods and have 5 ½ ounces of Meat and/or Beans each day. So how do we do that?

When you start to look at recipes to prepare for your family or guests, take note of the food groups represented in that recipe. I found a pasta recipe that contains all of the food groups. I’m sharing the recipe with a note after each item to tell which group it represents.

Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato
Serves 4

5 tablespoons olive oil (F)
1 cup sliced crimini (brown) mushrooms (V)
¾ cup julienned shitake mushrooms (V)
½ cup chopped red pepper (V)
¾ cup chopped celery (V)
1 large ripe tomato, peeled and diced (V)
¾ cup dry white wine (F)
1 cup whipping cream (D)
2 tablespoons slivered fresh basil (V)
10 ounces whole wheat spaghettini (G) Salt and Pepper to taste
1 ½ pounds (24) large shrimp, peeled and deveined (M)
½ teaspoon of dry Italian seasoning (V)
3-4 tablespoons sunflower seed (M)

Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the mushrooms, red pepper and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until some of the wine starts to evaporate. Add the cream and continue cooking on low heat until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the basil and keep warm on low heat.

In the meantime, boil the spaghettini in salted water until al dente. Just before the pasta is done, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in another skillet over medium heat and add the shrimp. Sprinkle with the dry Italian seasoning and sauté for about 2 minutes on each side or until the shrimp are just done.

Drain the pasta and place into a warm bowl. Add the sauce and toss to combine. Divide the pasta among four warm plates. Top each serving with 6 shrimp, and scatter sunflower seeds over top.

Train yourself to check for food groups in all the recipes you work with. Let’s look at each group and see what they are. “Grains”: represent all breads, whole grain cereals, crackers, rice or pasta. The products in this group have been very much improved over the years and you will be able to find any number of whole grains in many different combinations. Use them at breakfast or as part of any meal. What would a great sandwich be without two slices of great bread? Each slice is about 1 ounce so there is two of your 6 ounces, daily requirement.

“Vegetables”: there are three types of vegetables – root, vine and stalk. They share several characteristics; vegetables are savory rather than sweet; salt is added to the majority of them to make them more palatable and they are often served with poultry, meat of fish. Over the centuries different vegetables have found their place in the human diet. Europeans were skeptical in accepting some of the American vegetables. Tomatoes were thought to be poisonous, but what would an Italian do without them? The invention of canning at the end of the eighteenth century and the invention of the freezing process by Clarence Birdseye in 1929 made vegetables readily accessible. “Fruits”: are divided into four categories – berries, fruits of the orchard, fruits of the tropics and fruits of the vine. Fruits are the edible parts of flowering plants and have for ages inspired painters and poets alike. We need to be careful of fruit juices because they contain much sugar and could do more harm then good. Did you know there are more than seventy-five hundred varieties of apples throughout the world, of which twenty-five hundred are available in the United States. Of course the grape has been turned into gallons of great wine.

“Milk” is rich in calcium, fortunately for people like me who can not have lactose; there are products that are lactose free. Cheeses of all kinds; made from cows milk, sheep’s milk, goats milk even the mighty buffalo fall into this category. Yogurt has become very popular and a great deal is being done to make it taste great. Explore the many ways you can add calcium rich foods to your diets. I take a calcium pill.

“Meat and Beans”: beef, pork, lamb, poultry of all kinds, fish and shellfish the variety is endless and the tastes are wonderful. Beans and lentils are plentiful and offer a great variety of tastes and in selection of preparation. Don’t forget nuts and seeds. What would we do without the wonderful tastes of walnuts, almonds and pecans?

Here’s a recipe for our friends who do not eat meat, I hope you all enjoy it:

Black Bean Chili
Serves 8

3 cups black beans
2 small onions, 1 chopped, 1 diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red pepper, diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 can (6 ounces) tomatoes, crushed
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon ground oregano
½ teaspoon cinnamon
3 teaspoons blueberry vinegar (or other fruit-flavored vinegar)

Soak the beans overnight. Drain the water, then place the beans in a saucepan and add enough fresh water to cover them. Bring to a boil and boil very gently for 20 minutes. Add the chopped onion, chopped garlic, and salt, to taste, and simmer covered for 1-1/2 hours.

Sauté the diced onion, diced peppers and minced garlic in the olive oil until soft. When the beans have simmered for 1 ½ hours, add the vegetables to them along with the remaining ingredients. Simmer very gently for another ½ hour or until the beans are tender. Serve with sour cream of Salsa Cruda.

Salsa Cruda

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

3 to 4 large tomatoes, finely diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
4 green onions, chopped
1 Jalapeno pepper, very finely diced
½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
Garlic powder and salt to taste.

The recipes and historic information comes from “ALL ABOUT FOOD, Its History and Traditions” by Hilde Gabriel Lee. Published in 2002 by Hildesigns Press, Keswick, Virginia 22947.

If you have any questions or need more information please write me at this newspaper or e-mail me at RAskRalph@aol.com