The 200 SuperFoods That Will Save Your Life (28 page)

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION
One medium scallion (4
inches long) provides 4.8 calories, 3.9 g carbohydrate, 0.7 g protein, 0.2 g fat, 0.4 g dietary fiber, 150 IU vitamin A, 28 mg vitamin C, 31.1 mcg vitamin K, 9.6 mcg folic acid, 41.4 mg potassium, 10.8 mg calcium, 5.6 mg phosphorus, and 3 mg magnesium.

Bringing It Home

Look for fresh local scallions at your farmer's market as well as at the grocery store. They should seem crisp, with bright green leaves and firm white bulbs. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. Don't wash them until you're ready to eat them. To clean green onions, rinse them, trim off the roots, and strip away any wilted outer layers. The flavor of green onions is so delicate that they are usually best served raw, or just lightly stir-fried.

Livit Recipe

This dish provides a high-fiber carbohydrate fuel plus a vegetable all in one dish.

1 cup raw brown rice

2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
OR
vegetable broth

1 tablespoon non-hydrogenated margarine

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

½ pound mushrooms, thinly sliced

4 medium scallions (including the tops), thinly sliced

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

• In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the rice, broth, and margarine to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 45 to 50 minutes, until the rice is tender and the broth is absorbed. Fluff it with a fork and keep it warm until the rest of the ingredients are ready.

• In a large heavy skillet, heat olive oil over moderate heat for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and scallions and stir-fry until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add rice, salt, and pepper. Toss gently until all is well distributed.

YIELD
4 servings

NUTRITION ANALYSIS PER SERVING
273 calories, 38.4 g carbohydrate, 5.8 g protein, 11.1 g fat, 3.7 g dietary fiber

Benefits

Shallots are one of the more elegant members of the Allium family. They provide vitamins A and C, folic acid, potassium, calcium, and iron, as well as fiber. In at least one study, shallots were found to have more phenols and higher antioxidant activity than most of the commercially available varieties of onions. This means that they may be even better than the other Alliums at lowering blood pressure, preventing atherosclerosis, and inhibiting the onset and proliferation of cancers.

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION
One tablespoon of chopped raw shallots provides 7 calories, 1.7 g carbohydrate, 0.3 g protein, 0 g fat, 0 g dietary fiber, 1248 IU vitamin A, 1 mg vitamin C, 3 mcg folic acid, 33 mg potassium, 1 mg sodium, 6 mg phosphorus, 4 mg calcium, and 2 mg magnesium.

Bringing It Home

Shallots should be dry, firm, and plump—not wrinkled, mushy, or sprouting. Also watch for any signs of black mold. Most of the shallots available in the supermarket have been dried and can be kept for a month or more.

Shallots are a little like onions and a little like garlic—they have tops and a papery skin, but they also have cloves. Remove the outer skin to separate the cloves. Shallots can be used raw or cooked. They add a subtle onion taste to dishes, and they caramelize well.

Try freezing minced shallots in ice cube trays. Measure two tablespoons of minced shallots into each compartment. Once they're frozen solid, you can transfer the cubes into plastic zipper bags and store them in the freezer for up to eight months. Freezing breaks down the cell membranes somewhat, so the frozen shallots are best used for cooking.

If you have fresh shallots with the greens still attached, you can use the tops like chives or scallions. In fact, in some countries, “scallion” is used to mean shallot tops.

Finely diced shallots are a wonderful addition to salad dressings, or you can add them directly to the salad. Use minced shallots in soups, stews, and sauces. Use shallots in place of onions in delicately flavored dishes such as quiche and omelets.

Livit Recipe

4 tablespoons olive oil

½ pound shallots, thinly sliced

Coarse kosher salt

Black pepper

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1½ pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut into
-inch slices

1 cup water

• In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the shallots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté about 10 minutes, until the shallots are soft and golden. Add vinegar and sugar. Cook for about 3 more minutes, stirring constantly, until the shallots are brown and glazed. Set aside.

• In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the Brussels sprouts. Sprinkle the Brussels sprouts with a little salt and pepper. Sauté them for about 6 minutes, until they are brown at the edges. Add 1 cup of water. Sauté another 3 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated and the sprouts are tender but still bright green.

• Transfer to a serving bowl and add the shallots. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

YIELD
6 servings

NUTRITION ANALYSIS PER SERVING
159 calories, 17.5 g carbohydrate, 4.8 g protein, 9.4 g fat, 4.3 g dietary fiber

Benefits

Popeye the Sailor was ahead of his time! Spinach provides vitamins A, C, and K; B vitamins including folate and riboflavin; and the minerals iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, copper, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium. Vitamin C helps the body make use of the iron found in spinach. Although cooking reduces the vitamin C, it helps make the iron more bioavailable in other ways, so spinach is a better source of iron when cooked. Consider serving it with an additional source of vitamin C to enhance iron absorption.

Spinach is also rich in antioxidants and even provides some omega-3 fatty acids. It is an excellent source of lutein, which appears to protect the eye from sun damage. People whose diets are high in spinach were found to have reduced their risk of both cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

Spinach is one of the foods that contains measurable amounts of oxalates, so over-consumption can cause problems for those with kidney disease, gout, vulvar pain, rheumatoid arthritis, or other conditions that may require a low-oxalate diet. The oxalates in spinach may also interfere with the body's absorption of some of the minerals spinach provides.

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION
One-half cup of boiled spinach provides 21 calories, 3.4 g carbohydrate, 2.7 g protein, 0.2 g fat, 2.2 g dietary fiber, 7371 IU vitamin A, 9 mg vitamin C, 131 mcg folic acid, 63 mg sodium, 419 mg potassium, 122 mg calcium, 50 mg phosphorus, 78 mg magnesium, and 3.21 mg iron.

Bringing It Home

Spinach is available in the supermarket nearly year-round, but if you can find it at a farmer's market in season, it is a much more tender and flavorful treat. Spinach should be a deep, rich green, with no yellowing, wilting, or bruising. Don't buy spinach that shows evidence of slimy leaves.

Keep spinach in the refrigerator in a roomy plastic bag. If possible, sort through and remove any questionable leaves before you refrigerate it, but don't wash the spinach until you are ready to use it. When you wash it, be sure to get all the sand and grit out of it.

Frozen spinach is a great convenience food and allows you to add this great vegetable to almost any cooked dish. Steam frozen spinach for four to eight minutes, until the frost is gone, and use it wherever you would use fresh spinach.

A quarter cup of orange sections or sliced strawberries in a spinach salad will add the vitamin C that helps your body absorb the iron in spinach. When cooking spinach, a quick steam is usually better than a long boil for retaining nutrients, texture, and flavor.

Livit Recipe

Canola oil

1 whole egg

2 egg whites

6 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour

10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
OR
1 pound fresh spinach, washed, drained, trimmed, and coarsely chopped

16 ounces (2 cups) low-fat cottage cheese

6 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pinch of nutmeg, optional

3 tablespoons raw wheat germ

• Preheat oven to 350°F.

• Grease a 13” × 9” baking pan lightly with canola oil, using a paper towel to spread the oil and soak up the excess.

• In a large bowl, beat the egg and egg whites with the flour until the mixture is smooth. Add the spinach, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, pepper, and cayenne. Add nutmeg, if using. Mix the ingredients well.

• Pour the spinach and cheese mixture into the baking pan. Sprinkle wheat germ over the top. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for about 10 minutes. Cut into 1½” squares and serve.

•
NOTE
Frozen spinach may be defrosted by steaming it lightly (4 minutes or less). Drain well in a colander, pressing with a wooden spoon to get all the water out.

YIELD
10 servings

NUTRITION ANALYSIS PER SERVING
166 calories, 7 g carbohydrate, 14 g protein, 8 g fat, 1.5 g dietary fiber

Benefits

The summer squashes include yellow squash, yellow crookneck, and pattypan, as well as zucchini, which is so numerous it gets its own entry! Tender, yellow summer squash provides vitamins A and C; the B vitamins B
₆
, riboflavin, niacin, and folate; and the minerals potassium and magnesium. They are a good source of fiber and, at 93 percent water, low in calories and helpful for staying hydrated in the summer heat. They also provide lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids that help preserve vision.

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION
One cup of sliced raw summer squash provides 12 calories, 5.2 g carbohydrate, 1.2 g protein, 0.4 g fat, 2.4 g dietary fiber, 440 IU vitamin A, 10 mg vitamin C, 30 mcg folic acid, 276 mg potassium, 2 mg sodium, 42 mg phosphorus, 28 mg calcium, and 28 mg magnesium.

Bringing It Home

Yellow summer squash is available in the supermarket almost year-round, but the sweetest and most flavorful are local squash bought in season, so keep an eye out for them at your farmer's market. Pattypans are a bit less common, but they should be available at least in the summer.

Yellow summer squash should be strong, bright yellow, firm, and unbruised. The smaller ones are better; the big ones can be bland and woody tasting. Pattypans, or cymlings, are a delicate pale green with ruffled edges; they are best when no
larger than 3 inches in diameter. Their skins should be thin and delicate, and they should feel heavy. Neither type should look withered or dry.