News Feed: Genetically Modified Salmon, Sugar Limit, Frozen Produce

New hurdle for genetically modified salmon

Looks like it’s going to be an upstream battle for purveyors of genetically modified salmon. A scant two months after U.S. authorities deemed it safe for human consumption, the FDA has issued a ban on the import and sale of genetically engineered salmon until the agency sets forth guidelines as to how it should be labeled — a step that, the Washington Post notes, could take years. The ban was issued in response to a bill recently passed by Congress. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, who had pushed for labeling, called it “a huge step in our fight against ‘Frankenfish,’” adding that she believes “mandatory labeling guidelines must be put in place as soon as possible so consumers know what it is they are purchasing.”

Widespread move to limit sugar, survey finds

If you’ve been trying to cut down on sugar of late, you are definitely not alone. A recent poll of U.S. adults conducted by Reuters/Ipsos found that 58 percent of those surveyed had tried to curtail their intake of dietary sugar in the previous 30 days. “That is higher than the percentage of those who were targeting reductions in their intake of calories, sodium, fats, cholesterol or carbohydrates,” Reuters notes. “Only 39 percent said they had not tried to cut sugar intake.” The news agency suggests the survey may reflect increasing concern among health experts and consumers about sugar intake and obesity, but notes, too, that it didn’t monitor success in cutting sugar, adding that “notoriously short-lived New Year’s resolutions may account for some of the responses.” Still, the intention may not be the only thing that counts, but at least it’s an admirable first step.

 

Warm up to frozen veggies

Winter can wreak havoc on our intake of fresh fruit and veggies, but it doesn’t have to. Writing on Philly.com, registered dietitian Lindsey Kane suggests that the solution may be right in your own freezer: frozen produce, which she calls “the unsung hero of healthy eating.” Frozen fruits and vegetables are available year-round, are at least as packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals as fresh produce (perhaps even more so, because they’re flash-frozen at peak ripeness), are affordable, save time and are there when you need them, making them super-convenient. To enjoy frozen vegetables, “think soups, chili, stews, casseroles, gratins, or fillings for dumplings or stuffed mushrooms,” Kane suggests. And when it comes to frozen fruit, she says, “smoothies are a no-brainer.”

 

 

Amy Reiter is a writer and editor based in New York. A regular contributor to The Los Angeles Times, she has also written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Glamour, Marie Claire, The Daily Beast and Wine Spectator, among others, as well as for Salon, where she was a longtime editor and senior writer. In addition to contributing to Healthy Eats, she blogs for Food Network’s FN Dish.

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Trend Watch: It’s Raining Purple

Purple lovers, unite! We’ve spied (and tasted) a bunch of products made from antioxidant-packed purple corn and are happy to report much of it is really good!

Purple corn (maize morado) is native to Peru and a great source of the antioxidants known as anthocyanins, also found in blueberries. And just like yellow corn, it’s really diverse. The corn can be dried and milled into flour, which you can bake with to make things like cornbread or corn muffins. You can also look for products like purple corn tortilla chips, popcorn kernels and even stone-ground cereal flakes. In some specialty food stores, you can even find the dried purple corncobs, which can boiled and softened to make purple pudding for dessert or the popular Peruvian drink chicha de maiz morado, which is made by boiling the corncobs in water along with various fruits, like pineapple and quince, plus sugar and spices.

Have you seen any purple corn products in your grocery store? Let us know in the comments below!

Leah Brickley is a Nutritionist-Recipe Developer for Food Network Kitchen.

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5 Lower-Fat Dips for Game Day — Comfort Food Feast

If there’s any day of the year to indulge your most-hedonistic dip fantasies, it’s Game Day — a national event so synonymous with chips and dip that there are actually NFL-brand serving trays made to enhance the ubiquitous snack food’s visual presentation and ease of consumption, all in the name of football. But why choose an oil-laden dip when you can dig into creamy, comforting creations for less than 10 grams of fat per serving? If you’re hosting a viewing party this year, you’ll definitely want to skip the sad jarred nacho cheese in favor of these homemade recipes.

Kale and Artichoke Dip (pictured at top)
Total Fat: 5 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Good old-fashioned spinach-artichoke dip seems to be everyone’s favorite, but, truth be told, delicate spinach leaves just can’t stand up to the bubbling-hot intensity of melted cheese and mayonnaise. This recipe from Food Network Kitchen replaces spinach with its sturdier cousin, kale, and uses skim milk, low-fat Swiss and reduced-fat cream cheese to bind the veggies together. The end result is a hearty dip that’s plenty creamy — just less soupy than versions you may have had in the past.

Five-Layer Mexican Dip
Total Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Although it clocks in at just 140 calories per serving, Ellie Krieger’s five-layer dip is hearty enough to be a meal all on its own. The bottom layer consists of creamy pureed black beans enhanced with chipotle chile, lime juice and cumin. Pile on the corn, avocado, cilantro and shredded cheddar, and serve the dip with baked tortilla chips or — to be super-healthy — sliced vegetables.

Greek Yogurt Onion Dip
Total Fat: 3 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
This healthy twist on classic onion dip features sauteed shallots, snipped chives and tangy Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise. You can serve it with sliced vegetables, low-salt pretzels or pita chips. Don’t plan on having leftovers — this dip goes quickly — but if you do, try it slathered on a roast beef or turkey sandwich the next day. Trust us on this one.

Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip
Total Fat: 7.4 g
Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
Ellie’s wholesome and nutty dip has smooth and substantial body, similar to a traditional hummus but with subtle sweet notes, thanks to the roasted red pepper and, surprisingly, a good portion of pomegranate juice. Let the juice reduce in your saucepan before combining it with the red peppers, walnuts, breadcrumbs and spices. It will keep the final texture just right — not too thick, not too thin.

Hot Crab Dip
Total Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 4 g
Fresh lemon juice, Old Bay seasoning and a few dashes of hot sauce are the real heroes behind a robust and satisfying crab dip — not the cream cheese or sour cream, though they do serve a critical purpose. You’ll find that reduced-fat versions do just fine binding the fresh lump crab meat together, providing plenty of creamy texture for a fraction of the calories and fat.

Dip your way to victory with more tasty Game Day recipes from our friends:

Feed Me Phoebe: Healthy French Onion Dip with Leeks and Shallots
The Heritage Cook: Chipotle Black Bean Dip
Creative Culinary: Kahlua, Walnut and Brown Sugar Baked Brie
Dishing with Divya: Boiled Peanuts Hummus
TasteBook: Everything Bagel Dip
In Jennie’s Kitchen: Hummus, 4 Ways
The Mediterranean Dish: 11 Game-Day Recipes with a Mediterranean Twist
Dishin & Dishes: Individual Nachos with Pico De Gallo
The Mom 100: Warm Jalapeno Popper Dip
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Artichoke & Olive Dip
Red or Green: BBQ Dip With Roasted Vegetables
Taste with the Eyes: Favorite Dish on the Super Bowl Buffet, Guaranteed
FN Dish: 6 Game-Day Favorites That Are Even Better As Dips

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Lentil-and-Couscous-Stuffed Peppers

When I think of stuffed peppers, I’m reminded of the cheesy, tomato-and-beef-filled versions my mom made when I was a child. I didn’t fall in love with bell peppers until much later in life, so I used to dread those dinners. I would sprinkle on extra cheese and eat only the filling, leaving as much baked pepper behind as possible. Thankfully, my taste buds have matured and I now love bell peppers, especially the slightly smoky taste of roasted ones.

These lentil-stuffed peppers were inspired by my favorite Mediterranean salad, filled with Israeli couscous, lentils, roasted red pepper slices, olives, herbs and plenty of feta. For a lighter take on traditional stuffed peppers, I’ve roasted the peppers in the oven, then stuffed them with a simple lentil salad. Loaded with fiber and plant-based protein, these peppers are delicious and satisfying.

Lentil-Stuffed Peppers
Yield: 4 servings (2 halves per serving)

1 cup brown or green lentils
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 cup minced white onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Israeli couscous
2 cups hot water
4 red peppers
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta, plus more for garnish (optional)
1/2 cup chopped basil, plus more for garnish (optional)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Add the lentils and vegetable broth to a medium saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and cover. Cook for 30 minutes, until lentils are tender.

While the lentils are cooking, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a separate saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic for 5 minutes, until onion is translucent and tender. Stir in the couscous and cook, stirring often, for 1 to 2 minutes until toasted and golden brown. Add in the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until couscous is tender, about 12 minutes.

Halve the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Gently rub the remaining teaspoon of olive oil over the peppers and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes until peppers and tender.

Combine the cooked lentils and couscous in a large bowl along with the Kalamata olives, feta, basil, parsley, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Divide couscous mixture into each cooked pepper cavity, and garnish with extra feta and chopped basil.

Per serving: Calories 473; Fat 10 g (Saturated 4 g); Cholesterol 17 mg; Sodium 375 mg; Carbohydrate 73 g; Fiber 19 g; Sugars 6 g; Protein 24 g

Alex Caspero MA, RD, RYT is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Yoga Teacher. She is the founder of Delish Knowledge (delishknowledge.com), a resource for healthy, whole-food vegetarian recipes. In her private coaching practice, she helps individuals find their “Happy Weight.”

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What Are Magic Beans?

Chances are you’ve heard of the Blue Zones — the mystical-sounding places where a shockingly high proportion of residents live to be 100 years old. While researchers have uncovered several secrets to their longevity, perhaps the most-remarkable factor is that these longest-living people get 90 to 100 percent of their diets from plant foods. And chief among those? Beans.

“People in the Blue Zones eat an average of one cup of beans per day,” says Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and author of The Blue Zones Solution. “And that level of consumption is associated with four extra years of life expectancy.” Apparently, if you’re looking for a truly effective anti-aging supplement, you don’t need to look any further than your kitchen pantry in order to whip up a potentially life-extending lentil soup, bean dip or salad.

So what is it about beans that gives them such amazing anti-aging powers? First off, there’s the fiber. Although the exact amount varies slightly by type of bean, you can expect to get somewhere around 15 grams of fiber in a cup of beans. Fiber is essential for the health of your digestive system, improves satiety (which means you stay fuller on fewer calories), lowers cholesterol, improves blood sugar regulation (which may help prevent diabetes), and helps reduce blood pressure and inflammation. Beans are also a rich source of protein and vital nutrients — such as B vitamins and minerals like potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron.

It also turns out that despite beans’ reputation for creating gastric discomfort, eating them can actually do good things for your gut. “When you eat beans, it favors the growth of a type of gut bacteria that acts as an anti-inflammatory,” says Buettner, “while the bacteria that flourish when you eat more meat is a known contributor to inflammation.” And about that gas: Soaking your beans for 12 to 24 hours (then rinsing them and cooking in fresh water) can help eliminate much of the problem-causing oligosaccharides that make beans hard to digest.

Ready for a fiber boost? Here are a few bean-based recipes to try at home:

Red Beans and Rice
White Bean Dip
Lentil-Quinoa Salad
Three Bean Salad

Sally Wadyka is a Boulder, Colorado-based journalist who writes about nutrition, health and wellness.

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The Chef’s Take: Michael Chernow at Seamore’s in New York City

Seafood-loving diners swarm Seamore’s, in New York’s Nolita neighborhood, for the likes of kimchi fishermen’s stew and apple- and kale-flecked spicy squid tacos. The restaurant’s health-conscious owner, Michael Chernow — who also co-founded beloved chainlet The Meatball Shop — has a penchant for vegetables to boot.

Consider the winter-perfect citrus-root vegetable salad a refreshing segue to, say, charred broccoli and tofu cream nestled inside corn tortillas. “It’s nice and light,” says Chernow of the creation mingling parsnips, blood orange and grapefruit-like pomelo with such ingredients as beets and curly frisee. “It’s perfectly balanced with the chilled, roasted vegetable’s subtle sweetness and bursts of acid from the citrus,” he says.

While the parsnips add a textural dimension, and the blood orange and pomelo lend a colorful one, the mustardy poppy seed dressing — in tandem with red wine vinegar and olive oil — melds it all together with a jolt of earthiness.

Cold-weather temperatures often elicit laments when one is poring over sparse produce selections at the farmers market, but seasonal root vegetables are actually Chernow’s favorite. “They are substantial and hearty enough for a meal when roasted in the oven with salt and olive oil,” he points out. Root vegetables are also great when starring in a nourishing, good-looking bowl of greens.

Citrus and Root Vegetable Salad
Yield: 4 servings

5 medium parsnips cut in 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 each pomelo
2 whole blood oranges
2 tablespoons orange reduction
5 heads frisee
2 large red beets
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons Poppy Seed Dressing (below)
3 teaspoons puffed rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pinches salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel parsnips and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Season parsnips with a pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper. Toss parsnips with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large bowl; place in a single layer in a lightly greased 15-by-10-inch pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Peel beets toss with remaining olive oil, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 2 pinches of salt and 1 pinch of black pepper. Toss beets with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; arrange beets in a single layer on a separate aluminum foil-lined 15-by-10-inch pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes or just until tender. Let cool completely (about 20 minutes). Meanwhile, whisk together dressing and next 3 ingredients. Place vegetables, pomelo and blood orange in a large bowl. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing and orange reduction; toss gently to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled over frisee and puffed rice with any remaining dressing.

Poppy Seed Dressing
In a mixing bowl with a whisk, combine sugar, vinegar, salt, mustard and onion, and process for 20 seconds. With blender or food processor on high, gradually add oil in a slow, steady stream. Stir in poppy seeds.

Per serving: Calories 372; Fat 18 (Saturated 3 g); Sodium 230 mg; Carbohydrate 51 g; Fiber 12 g; Sugars 20 g; Protein 6 g

Alia Akkam is a New York-based writer who covers the intersection of food, drink, travel and design. She launched her career by opening boxes of Jamie Oliver books as a Food Network intern.

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Now Trending: Smoothie-Delivery Programs

The popularity of home-delivery cooking services continues to grow. Think beyond meal programs: Now smoothie and juice lovers can get in on the action. We took a few of the most-popular options for a whirl in our blenders.

Smoothie Nutrition

Smoothies can be healthy eats, but you do have to be mindful of the ingredients and the portion sizes; even too much healthy food can lead to an excess of calories. The smoothies we tried contained anywhere from 40 to 200 calories per serving and varied significantly in totals for healthy fat, fiber and carbohydrate, depending on the ingredients. Since most smoothies are made with nothing but whole foods, added sugars weren’t really a concern.

Ordering, Pricing and Delivery

Placing orders is super-easy. Brands like Green Blender and Daily Harvest have very user-friendly websites that will get smoothies to your door with just a few clicks. Prices range from about $7 to $9 per smoothie ($3.50 to $4.50 per serving) depending on which plan you select. There were some significant differences between these brands, so do some research before deciding which is the best fit for your lifestyle.

Green Blender, much like many popular meal-deliver programs, comes with all ingredients individually wrapped and labeled. Produce requires a wash before use, and your shipment includes a bundle of packets featuring add-ins like pea protein powder, wheatgrass, cinnamon, dried fruit and chopped nuts. All this fresh food is certainly desirable, but it does require some extra elbow grease to prep and store for the week.

Daily Harvest smoothies arrive in premeasured frozen cups that are packed in dry ice. Just open and add to the blender with water or other recommended liquid (not included). The container can then serve double duty as a cup, which you can pour your prepared smoothie back into (clever).

Fresh Flavors

Green Blender’s kit includes recipe sheets for each smoothie, as well as a guide with useful tips for perfect blending. The a la carte ingredients allow users to omit certain elements if desired. We loved the fresh ingredients and unique flavor combos. Some of the best flavors we tried were Goji Cranberry Crimson (pictured below), made with acai berry and mandarin orange, and Persimmon Pineapple Protein, featuring yellow squash and flaxseed.

Daily Harvest suggests a variety of liquids — including water, coconut water and almond milk — to mix with the frozen ingredients. The Matcha Colada (left) with kale, lime and vanilla was tremendous blended with coconut water, and the Cacao Kapow (right) with avocado and pink Himalayan sea salt was creamy and plenty chocolatey blended with almond milk. The fast preparation is delightfully mindless, and while you can choose your favorite liquid, you don’t have the flexibility to omit an ingredient. But you can choose exactly which smoothies you want each delivery cycle, which isn’t the case with some other programs.

 

Dana Angelo White, MS, RD, ATC, is a registered dietitian, certified athletic trainer and owner of Dana White Nutrition, Inc., which specializes in culinary and sports nutrition.

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