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Food

Golden rules

Yellow fruits and vegetables are chock-full of important vitamins and minerals. So get creative and add another splash of color to your meals this spring.

By TIMES STAFF
Published May 2, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Scatter sliced yellow pears, toasted walnuts and goat cheese over baby greens and dress with a sweet vinaigrette for an elegant salad.

Splash yellow across your plate every day and you'll be healthier, as long as the food comes from the ground and not a factory.

Nutrition experts have long been telling us to eat the colors of the rainbow, and they are not talking about orange Cheetos or blue ketchup. It's the colorful food manufactured by Mother Nature that provides important vitamins and minerals.

It's easy to add red (tomatoes, cherries and watermelon) and green (asparagus, broccoli and spinach) to your meals. Yellow is a little bit more difficult, and, no, bananas don't count (it's only the peel that's yellow, not the fruit).

Yellow produce is not as obvious as red and green, and golden beets and kiwis, along with persimmons and yellows figs, are not widely available.

Still, yellow produce is good for you and worth seeking out. Yellow not only cheers the soul, but also adds carotenoids to your diet. These protective components improve eye health and ward off cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

You also will get plenty of vitamin C from yellow foods, particularly those in the citrus family.

Good options for spring are pineapple, star fruit and squash, plus corn, yellow apples and even butternut squash are available year-round. Here are some ways to add these colorful foods to our plates.

- Grill pineapple after brushing wedges of the bright yellow flesh with a glaze of honey, lemon or lime juice and black pepper. The heat of the grill brings out the flavors of fruit in ways other cooking methods don't.

- For squash, try stuffing halves with corn, onion, and red and green pepper.

Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese and bake. This is a delicious way to serve squash, which sometimes turns off children because of its, well, squashy texture.

- For a creative flair, turn to the star fruit to entice the children in your house to indulge in fruit. Youngsters each need at least 1 cup of fruit a day, increasing to 1 1/2 to 2 cups for boys and girls ages 9 to 18. Eat as is or slice the light yellow Asian fruit, also known as carambola, and add it to a fruit salad.

(There is one caveat: Patients with chronic renal failure should not eat this fruit, which has a poisoning effect on their weakened system.)

- Scatter sliced pears, toasted walnuts and goat cheese over baby greens and dress with a sweet vinaigrette for an elegant salad.

- Make an Italian caprese salad (fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and ribbons of fresh basil) with yellow tomatoes instead of red. Or alternate them. Dress with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

- Roast trimmed, yellow beets in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes. Let cool and use in salads or serve warm, drizzled with olive oil and topped with blue cheese.

Grilled Pineapple

1 large ripe pineapple, cored and peeled

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

- Cut pineapple into quarters from top to bottom. Cut each quarter slice into four pieces (two pieces lengthwise and two crosswise). You should now have 16 wedges of pineapple (about 3 inches by 1 inch each).

- In a small bowl, combine honey, lemon or lime juice and black pepper. Brush the glaze onto each slice of pineapple, coating completely.

- Preheat barbecue grill. Either oil or spray the grill rack with nonstick cooking spray. Place pineapple wedges on grill and cook about 4 minutes on each side (turning so that grill marks are on all sides) until the pineapple becomes fragrant and starts to dry out on the surface.

- Note: Don't overcook, or the pineapple will turn mushy.

- Remove from the grill and brush with glaze one more time before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 71 calories, trace protein, 19g fat (no saturated), 1g fiber, 1mg sodium, 19g carbohydrates.

Source: www.whatscookingamerica.net

Grilled Tuna and Star Fruit Salad

1 1/2 pounds fresh tuna, 1 inch thick, cut into 4 pieces

2 star fruit, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

8 cups torn mixed lettuce

1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

3 green onions, sliced

Mustard dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

1/4 teaspoon paprika

- Arrange tuna on lightly oiled grilling tray or broiler pan. - To make the dressing, combine the mayonnaise, lime or lemon juice, mustard, dill and paprika in a small bowl and mix well. Chill until ready to use. Makes about 1/2 cup.

- Brush fish with dressing. Grill or broil, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

- Turn fish and arrange star fruit alongside it on the grilling tray. Brush fish and star fruit lightly with the dressing. Return to the grill. Cook for 3 to 6 minutes longer, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

- Combine lettuce and cucumber in a large salad bowl. Add the remaining dressing and toss to coat well.

- Divide salad evenly among four dinner plates. Place 1 piece of tuna on the center of each salad. Arrange the star fruit slices around each salad plate. Sprinkle with green onions.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 321 calories, 39g protein, 17g carbohydrates, 16g fat (3g saturated), 3g fiber, 328mg sodium.

Source: McClatchy-Tribune Newspapers

Corn-stuffed Yellow Squash

3 medium yellow crookneck squash, about 6 inches long

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped onion

2 tablespoons chopped red pepper

2 tablespoons chopped green pepper

1 (17-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon seasoned pepper

3/4 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

- Cook squash in small amount of boiling water, about 15 minutes or until just tender. Drain, cut in half and scoop out seed.

- Melt butter in skillet, add onion and cook a few minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stuff squash with mixture.

- Arrange squash in shallow baking dish and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 196 calories, 7g protein, 18g carbohydrates, 12g fat (7g saturated), 3g fiber, 316mg sodium.

Source: www.cooks.com

[Last modified May 3, 2007, 13:36:03]