Consumers have a hard time getting Quick & Easy, (let alone Healthy) dinners on the table that their kids will eat these days. (Heck, it's hard for me to do and I know about food and where to find the recipes.) That's why I wasn't surprised when our latest cooking class, "Quick Fix Healthy Meals" filled up within minutes. I teamed up with my dietitian friend, Maureen Doran, to teach the class. We work well together, I talk about the food and she talks about the nutrition, although at times we interject themes from each others' world, as we've been doing this for a while. The General Mills Wellness Committee sponsored the class--I'm an active committee member and our mission is to educate employees on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, provide activities to entice people to get involved and be active.
35 employees packed into the Portrait Conference Room. Having the right ingredients for a healthy, quick-cooking pantry is key and we talked about recipe possibilities and variations that play out this concept. We showed grains that cook in 20 to 30 minutes--quinoa, bulgur wheat, red rice, whole wheat couscous and a few easy ways to make meals healthier:
- Use canola or olive oil in place of butter when sauteeing vegetables, grains, etc. Using liquid oil great reduces the amount of saturated fat in cooking.
- Use a combination of crushed cereal and flour to bread fish and chicken. (Corn Chex® worked wonderfully well, gave the fish a nice, crunchy texture)
- Adding beans or legumes to soups, stews, stir-fries really increases the fiber and vitamins and minerals.
- Using quick-cooking whole grains like whole wheat couscous, bulgur wheat, quinoa isn't hard, just need a few starter recipes.
- For great-tasting, healthy recipes, www.eatbetteramerica.com www.yoplait.com www.fiberone.com www.bettycrocker.com, (search healthy recipes) are terrific sources and all of the recipes were developed in the Betty Crocker Kitchens.
We demonstrated and sampled Corn-Crusted Fish Fillets from Betty Crocker Win at Weight Loss Cookbook, Quinoa with Black Beans, Lemon Chicken and Tomatoes with Couscous, from Betty Crocker 30-Minute Meals for Diabetes, Lentil-Tofu Soup from Betty Crocker Just the Two of Us and of course we had to have dessert, so we picked Saucy Raspberry Rhubarb from the Betty Crocker Healthy Heart Cookbook.
Maureen and I teaching the class. They're learning about whole grains.
Maureen, presenting variations of Corn-Crusted Fish Fillets. Once the fish is cooked, you can use it to make fish tacos, a sandwich, a side or main dish salad.
Livia and Rosie, our "cooks in the kitchen". Our team technicians, they have lots of valuable experience--they prepared the food and portioned out the samples.
Quinoa with Black Beans
Start to Finish: 30 Minutes
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup black beans (from 15-oz can), drained, rinsed
1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1 small tomato, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 medium green onions, chopped (1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Rinse quinoa thoroughly by placing in a fine-mesh strainer and holding under cold running water until water runs clear; drain well.
2. In 2-quart saucepan, heat broth to boiling. Add quinoa; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
3. Fluff quinoa with fork. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook uncovered about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated.
8 servings (1/2 cup each)
1 Serving: Calories 130 (Calories from Fat 15); Total Fat 2g (Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 340mg; Total Carbohydrate 23g (Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugars 2g); Protein 6g
% Daily Value: Vitamin A 4%; Vitamin C 2%; Calcium 4%; Iron 15%
Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch Carbohydrate Choices: 1 1/2
Betty's Tip: Quinoa is high in protein, low in fat and cooks quickly, making it a great grain to use. As is, this recipe works well as a side dish; to make it a main dish, double the serving size.
Betty Crocker 30-Minute Meals for Diabetes
Corn-Crusted Fish Fillets
Start to Finish: 20 Minutes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup water
3 cups Corn Chex® cereal, crushed (about 1 2/3 cups)
4 cod or tilapia fillets (4 to 6 oz each) (we used tilapia)
2 tablespoons canola or soybean oil
1. In shallow dish, mix flour and salt. In another shallow dish, beat eggs and water with fork. Place crushed cereal in third shallow dish. Dip fish in flour, coating well; shake off excess. Dip floured fish in egg mixture, then in cereal, coating all sides completely. Place coated fish on ungreased cookie sheet.
2. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Keeping at least 1 inch between fish fillets and cooking in batches if needed, cook fish in oil 3 to 4 minutes on each side, turning once, until well browned and fish flakes easily with fork. If needed, place cooked fish on paper towels on cookie sheet and keep warm in 225°F oven while cooking remaining fish.
Makes 4 servings in 20 minutes
Betty's Tip: Using whole-grain cereals as a breading or in baking is an easy way to work in whole grains and boosts vitamins and minerals in your favorite recipes, because the cereal is fortified. You can pair these crispy fillets with seasoned rice pilaf, coleslaw and baby carrots.
1 Serving: Calories 240 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 8g (Saturated Fat 1.5g); Cholesterol 115mg; Sodium 600mg; Total Carbohydrate 31g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 2g); Protein 26g
% Daily Value: Vitamin A 10%; Vitamin C 4%; Calcium 20%; Iron 40%
Exchanges: 2 Starch, 3 Very Lean Meat, 1 1/2 Fat
Carbohydrate Choices: 2
Fish Tacos: Break fish into pieces and fill tortillas with fish, cut-up cucumbers and shredded mozzarella cheese.
Light Salad: Cut fish into pieces, and mix with green or red grapes, cantaloupe chunks and equal parts of mayonnaise and yogurt.
Main Course Salad: Stir together cut-up fish and salsa. Toss with salad greens, shredded cheese, canned corn with red peppers and sliced ripe olives.
Betty Crocker Win at Weight Loss Cookbook