- Quick Fixings
Are Sometimes Best
- FROM THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE
FOR CANCER RESEARCH
It’s the beginning
of the make-it-ahead season. The end of school, graduations and
weddings don’t leave the home cook time for elaborate, last-minute
dishes. Quick, easy meals are a harbinger of summer.
Hot weather calls for can-opening, slicing, mixing and assembling
rather than braising, sautéing, stewing and roasting.
And if a meal’s worth of flavor and substance can be packed
into a one-dish meal, so much the better - especially if it’s
nutritious.
One secret to a successful one-dish meal is variety. Ingredients
of many colors, flavors and textures taste good, look good, and
are chockful of phytochemicals, those disease-fighting natural
substances found in plant-based foods like vegetables and fruits.
The vegetables typically used in a salad - leafy greens, tomatoes,
bell peppers - each offer different phytochemicals, each with
their own health benefits.
Just one serving of dark leafy greens, for example, contains
more than 100 different phytochemicals. Dark, leafy greens like
romaine lettuce and spinach contain lutein and zeaxanthin, powerful
antioxidants linked to reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration
and lung cancer. Bell peppers are a good source of phytochemicals
called phenols, especially coumarins and terpenes, which help
fend off cancer. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene (even more so
when cooked), considered the most powerful antioxidant in the
carotenoid family and believed to reduce the risk of prostate
cancer and possibly breast cancer.
Many one-dish salad ingredients are in your refrigerator or cupboards.
See what you have, put them together and have a refreshing, filling,
healthful one-dish meal. This Mexican-style chicken salad is
just one colorful example.
Mexican Chicken Salad - Makes about 10 servings.
- 3 cups cooked, cubed chicken
breast
- 1 can (15 oz.) corn, drained
(1 3/4 cups)
- 1 can (15.5 oz.) black beans,
rinsed and drained
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded
and diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded
and diced
- 1/2 cup peeled jicama, diced
small
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive
oil
- 2-3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice,
or to taste
- 3/4 cup thick salsa
- 3 drops, or to taste, red
pepper sauce (optional)
- 2-4 Tbsp. water
- 1/4 cup low-fat shredded Cheddar
cheese for garnish (optional)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh
cilantro or flat-parsley leaves, for garnish (optional)
In a large bowl, place chicken,
corn, beans, bell peppers and jicama. Gently toss until well
mixed and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together
olive oil and lime juice. Mix in salsa. Add red pepper sauce
if desired. Add enough water to thin consistency so dressing
can be thinly drizzled over salad. Transfer to serving pitcher.
Drizzle dressing over chicken mixture, tossing to coat salad
ingredients evenly.
Cover and chill 1 to 3 hours
so flavors can meld. Bring to room temperature and check seasoning
before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Drain
off any excess dressing. Place in serving bowl. Sprinkle top
of salad with cheese (if using) and cilantro. Serve with baked
tortilla chips, if desired.
- Per serving: 238 calories,
13 g. total fat (2 g. saturated fat), 10 g. carbohydrate, 16
g. protein, 4 g. dietary fiber, 413 mg. sodium.
- _______________________________________
AICR offers a Nutrition Hotline
(1-800-843-8114) Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, a free service
that allows you to ask a registered dietitian questions about
diet, nutrition and cancer. The American Institute for Cancer
Research is the only major cancer charity focusing exclusively
on the link between diet, nutrition and cancer. The Institute
provides a range of education programs that help millions of
Americans learn to make changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also
supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment
at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S.
The Institute has provided more than $65 million in funding for
research in diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR’s Web address
is www.aicr.org.
AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.
_______________________________________
RECIPE POSTED
JUNE 02, 2003
|
WHAT'S NEW?
