Love your heart - recipes

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September marks Heart Health Awareness Month. These low-fat recipes will help you put meals on the table everyone will love.

STUFFED CALAMARI WITH LIME AND SOY DIPPING SAUCE

Serves 4

8 calamari tubes

750ml wholewheat breadcrumbs

grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

100g black olives, pitted and chopped

80ml sundried tomatoes drained and chopped

100g low-fat feta cheese, crumbled

45ml snipped chives

60ml parsley, chopped

60ml mint, chopped

salt and pepper

toothpicks

olive oil

Dipping sauce

60ml salt-reduced soy sauce

30ml lime juice

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 green chili, finely sliced

Wash and pat the calamari tubes dry. Combine the breadcrumbs, lemon rind, juice, olives, tomatoes, feta and herbs. Season well.

Spoon the mixture into the tubes and secure the open end with a toothpick.

Brush with olive oil and cook on a griddle pan for 3-5 minutes a side until cooked. Remove and cool. Cut into slices and serve with the dipping sauce

DIPPING SAUCE: Combine all the ingredients together.

HARISSA CHICKEN AND BARLEY SALAD

Serves 4-6

10ml harissa paste

15ml olive oil

500g chicken fillet strips

250ml pearl barley

125g cocktail tomatoes

1 small red pepper, diced

1 small yellow pepper, diced

60ml chopped coriander

salt and pepper

rocket for serving

Dressing

45ml olive oil

30ml lemon juice

5ml ground cumin

5ml chopped garlic

salt and pepper

Mix the harissa paste with the olive oil. Add to the chicken and toss well to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes. Fry the chicken in a non-stick frying pan until cooked. Set aside. Cook the barley according to the instructions until tender. Drain. Combine with the tomatoes, peppers and coriander. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the salad. Season to taste. Pour over the dressing. Toss to combine. Serve on a bed of rocket.

DRESSING: Combine all the ingredients and mix well.

CURRIED MINCE STIR-FRY

Serves 4

500g ostrich mince or extra-lean beef mince

15ml curry powder

10ml olive oil

10ml chopped garlic

15ml chopped ginger

400g packet of stir-fry vegetables

45ml salt-reduced soy sauce

15ml honey

125ml beef stock

80ml chopped coriander

Dry fry the mince in a pan or wok until nicely browned. Use a spoon to break up the lumps. Add the curry powder and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Remove the mince from the pan and set aside.

Add the olive oil to the pan and fry the ginger and garlic for a few seconds. Add the vegetables and stir-fry until cooked.

Return the mince to thepan.

Combine the soy sauce, honey and stock and mix. Add to the meat and simmer for5 minutes.

Stir in the coriander and serve with rice or noodles.

WHOLEWHEAT PASTA WITH RICOTTA AND BROCCOLI

Serves 4

1 red onion, finely sliced

10ml olive oil

250g button mushrooms, halved

5ml chopped garlic

350g wholewheat penne pasta

1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets

250g cherry tomatoes, halved

200g ricotta cheese, crumbled

Fry the onion in a little olive oil. Once softened add the mushrooms and garlic and fry until cooked.

In a large pot of boiling water, boil the penne pasta for 15 minutes, adding the prepared broccoli to the boiling water for the last 5 minutes.

Drain and add to the mushrooms with the cherry tomatoes and ricotta. Heat through and serve hot.

APPLE PUDDING

Serves 8

4 medium Granny Smith apples, seeds removed and cut in wedges

1 cinnamon stick

¼ cup (60ml) sugar

3 eggs, beaten

3 tbsp (45ml) sunflower oil

¾ cup (180ml) low or fat-free milk

½ cup (125ml) plain low-fat yoghurt

1 cup (250ml) cake flour

½ cup (125ml) wholewheat flour

2 tsp (10ml) baking powder

2 tsp (10ml) ground cinnamon

Syrup

½ cup (125ml) low- or fat-free milk

½ cup (125ml) water

¼ cup (60ml) sugar

1 cinnamon stick (optional)

Place apples with 2 tbsp of water and the cinnamon in a pot. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until tender.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Beat sugar and eggs until well blended. Add oil, milk and yoghurt and mix well.

Combine the flours, baking powder and half the cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Beat liquid into the flour mixture to form a smooth batter. Spoon apples into an oven dish and pour batter on top. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

SYRUP: Meanwhile, place all the ingredients in a small pot and stir over a low heat. Simmer for a few minutes or until slightly thickened. Prick warm pudding with a fork or skewer and pour syrup over.

Sprinkle with the rest of the ground cinnamon. Serve warm with plain low-fat or fat-free yoghurt.

KNOW YOUR FATS

Knowing the difference between good and bad fats is one of the keys to eating a healthy diet.

SATURATED FATS: These are solid at room temperature – such as butter – and are found in food derived from animal sources. They are the bad fats that increase the levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) in your blood and decrease the level of HDL (good cholesterol).

POLYUNSATURATED FATS: Liquid at room temperature and in the fridge, these are good fats and they help the body get rid of cholesterol. Found in grains, nuts, seeds and many vegetable and fish oils.

MONOUNSATURATED FATS: These are liquid at room temperature but start to solidify in the fridge. These help reduce cholesterol and can be found in olive oil, nuts and avocado.

TRANS FATTY ACIDS: These are bad fats. They are made when unsaturated fats are hydrogenated (adding hydrogen atoms to make a solid product). These products are often used in fast food and store-bought biscuits and cakes. They cause an increase in cholesterol and should be avoided. These fats are often hidden and unless you read labels carefully you may not realise how many trans fats you are consuming.

THE HEART MARK

Look out for this mark on products in the supermarket. This indicates that the product has been approved by the Heart Foundation and that products comply with strict criteria set by the foundation.

Products have been tested and found to be low in cholesterol and saturated fat, low in salt and added sugar, and high in fibre where applicable.

HOW TO REDUCE FAT WHEN COOKING

There are a few simple methods that will ensure that fat is kept to a minimum when cooking:

* Remove all visible fat and skin from meat and poultry.

* Brush food with oil rather than adding oil to the pan to cook.

* Steam vegetables or cook in a small amount of water.

* Using a non-stick pan helps reduce the need for a lot of oil when cooking or frying.

* Using a spray canister to add oil will prevent heavy handedness when adding oil to a pan.

* Bake chips in the oven instead of frying in deep oil.

* Use a non-stick pan to cook and dry fry where possible.

COOKING FOR THE HEART

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of SA has printed a useful recipe booklet, Cooking From The Heart. The recipes were selected from family favourites contributed by people all over the country. They have been adapted to follow the guidelines of the foundation.

The booklet has useful tips for replacing unhealthy choices with good food alternatives and healthier methods of cooking.

For details about getting a free copy of the book, see www.heartfoundation.co.za or you may send an e-mail to freddie@heartfoundation.co.za. - The Star

Call them at 021 403 6450 for distribution details. - The Star

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