- "Something
Different"
- Have a Happy
Healthy Halloween
- BY DANA JACOBI FOR THE AMERICAN
INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH
This Friday night is Halloween.
“Who ya gonna call,” as they say in the movie Ghostbusters,
and what are you going to do to celebrate?
If you have children, you are probably already overwhelmed with
finding just the right Halloween costume for them. If they are
young enough to require a trick-or-treat escort, make the effort
to get into the act yourself. Dig out hanks of yarn, shabby old
clothes, old bed sheets and anything else you can turn into a
costume, and discover how much fun Halloween can be for grown-ups.
Too undignified? Think of the
Halloween Parade in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Bystanders
have such a good time at this festive celebration that many return
the next year, in costume, to join the procession. By now, this
exuberantly attired throng has turned this local amusement into
a nationally televised media event.
Whether or not you dress up,
it is easy to join in the party atmosphere this weekend by serving
a menu of foods with Halloween colors and themes. Easy starters
include carrot, sweet potato, or black bean soup, perhaps ladled
out of a large pumpkin, or served individually in scooped-out
miniature pumpkins. Black bean chili is a Halloween classic,
but also consider grilled salmon accompanied by black bean salsa.
Or, for quick, casual fare, roll up slices of grilled chicken
with the salsa in an orange-colored wrap.
Halloween need not mean handing
out sweets full of empty calories. Instead give small bags of
trail mix, dried fruit, or oatmeal cookies. In the apartment
building where I live, so many parents accompany the little residents
that I keep this treat on hand just for them. Based on the familiar
squares of puffed rice mixed with melted marshmallows, this healthful
version uses whole grain cereal. It is also studded with nuts
and raisins. To keep it neat, I hand out these squares individually
wrapped in plastic.
Healthy Whole-Grain “Power”
Treats - Makes 12 servings.
- 3 cups (half 10-ounce bag)
miniature marshmallows
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 cups puffed whole-grain
cereal
- 1/2 cup whole grain flake
cereal
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped, or
salted roasted soynuts
- 1/2 cup raisins
Coat a 9-inch square baking
dish with cooking spray. Line pan with plastic wrap, letting
edges hang over sides of pan. Coat plastic with cooking spray.
Coat a wooden mixing spoon with cooking spray and set aside,
close to stove.
In large saucepan over medium
heat, cook marshmallows and butter until they are melted and
start to color, about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Take pot
off heat.
Using coated spatula, stir
in two cereals, nuts and raisins until dry ingredients are well
coated with marshmallow mixture.
Turn mixture into prepared
pan. Using wet hands, smooth and press mixture into an even layer.
(You can also lightly spray your hands with cooking spray to
do this.). Set aside to cool. Invert pan over cutting board.
Lift off plastic. Using serrated knife, cut into squares, or
rectangles about the size of a small candy or power bar.
Per serving: 128 calories,
5 g. total fat (1 g. saturated fat), 21 g. carbohydrate, 2 g.
protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 27 mg. sodium.
_________________________________
- “Something Different”
is written for the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR)
by Dana Jacobi, author of The Joy of Soy and recipe creator for
AICR’s Stopping Cancer Before It Starts.
AICR offers a Nutrition Hotline (1-800-843-8114) 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. ET Monday-Friday. This free service allows you to ask a
registered dietitian questions about diet, nutrition and cancer.
AICR is the only major cancer charity focused exclusively on
the link between diet, nutrition and cancer. It provides a range
of education programs that help 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. It has provided more than
$65 million 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.
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- RECIPE POSTED OCTOBER 27,
2003
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