Healthier Than You Thought...

I ran across a very interesting article at Webmd, and thought I would share it here. These days, almost everyone is interested in healthier eating - this article is reassuring in that we may already be eating healthier than we thought!


From Webmd
Cooking Veggies May Not Cut Nutrients
Study: Some Cooking Methods Maintain or Boost Certain Nutrients in Vegetables
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Dec. 21, 2007 -- Cooking vegetables may not reduce all of the nutrients in those veggies, according to a new Italian study.

The University of Parma's Nicoletta Pellegrini, PhD, and colleagues bought freshly harvested carrots, zucchini, and broccoli at a local market.

In their lab, the scientists measured levels of various antioxidants in the raw vegetables. Then they boiled, steamed, or fried the vegetables. Lastly, they measured antioxidant levels in the cooked vegetables.

Raw vegetables were loaded with antioxidants. After cooking, their antioxidant levels were a mixed bag.

In some cases, the veggies lost antioxidants to cooking. But not all antioxidants decreased when cooked -- and in some cases, certain antioxidant levels rose when cooked.

For instance, steamed broccoli contained higher levels than raw broccoli of glucosinolate compounds, which may reduce cancer risk. And boiled carrots contained higher levels than raw carrots of carotenoids, which give carrots their bright orange color.

No single method of cooking stood out as being best for all antioxidants.

"Our results suggest that for each vegetable a preferential cooking method could be selected to preserve or improve its nutritional qualities," write the researchers.

Their findings appear in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Prosciutto Basil Pasta Shells

These jumbo pasta shells look fancy, but are really very easy, and fairly quick to make.



* 12 jumbo pasta shells
* 1 Tbl olive oil
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 3/4 cup sliced prosciutto (cooked ham may be substituted, by lessens the flavor)
* 1 cup ricotta cheese
* 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/2 tsp dried basil
* 1 egg
* 14 oz of your favorite homemade or purchased tomato sauce


# Heat oven to 375F.
# Spray 2 qt. square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
# Cook pasta according to package directions. (I find it easier to lessen the recommended cooking time by about 2 minutes - the shells are firmer, less likely to fall apart, and they will finish cooking in the oven) Drain pasta, and rinse with cold water to cool.
# Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until hot. Add garlic and prosciutto and cook 2-3 minutes or until garlic is light golden brown.
# In medium bowl, combine 1/2 the prosciutto mixture with ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, basil, and egg and mix well. Stir spaghetti sauce into prosciutto mixture remaining in skillet.
# Spoon ricotta mixture into pasta shells and place in baking dish. Spoon spaghetti sauce mixture over shells. Cover with foil.
# Bake for 35 -40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
# Serve immediately.

Pizza Popover Pie

This hearty fun twist on traditional pizza is really a treat for kids and adults alike.




* 1 and 1/2 lbs ground beef
* 1 cup chopped bell pepper
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
* 1 envelope spaghetti sauce mix
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/2 tsp garlic powder
* 1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
* 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup milk
* 2 LARGE eggs, slightly beaten
* 1 Tbl olive oil
* 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese





1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. In a 12 inch skillet, cook and stir ground beef, bell pepper, and onion, until beef is browned. Drain fat.
3. Add the tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce mix, water, garlic powder, and oregano to the meat mixture in skillet. Mix well. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat.
4. Immediately spoon the sauce mixture into a 3 qt. round casserole dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
5. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, milk, eggs and olive oil. Mix well. Transfer this batter to a glass measuring cup. Carefully pour the batter over the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes or until light brown and set.
6. Variations:
7. Make it 'Mexican' by using a package of taco seasoning mix in place of the spaghetti sauce mix, and Cheddar or Monterey Jack (or both) cheeses in place of the Mozzarella and Parmesan.
8. Make it healthier by substituting ground turkey for the ground beef.

Clam Linguine

This delicious dish is easy enough to fix at the last minute, but will have everyone thinking you spent hours on it!




* 1 (8 oz) package dry linguine
* 1 (6 and 1/2 oz) can of minced clams
* 2 Tbl olive oil
* 2 Tbl margarine or butter
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/4 to 1/2 tsp pepper
* 1/4 tsp dried basil, crushed
* 1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed
* salt to taste
* 2 Tbl fresh parsley, snipped
* Grated Parmesan cheese





1. Cook the linguine according to package directions, then drain and set aside.
2. Drain the clams, but reserve the liquid and set aside.
3. In a 2 qt saucepan over medium high heat, heat the olive oil and butter until the oil is hot, and butter is melted. Add the garlic, cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Do not brown the garlic.
4. Carefully add the reserved clam liquid, pepper, basil, oregano, and salt to taste. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Stir in the clams and simmer until heated through. Stir the parsley into the clam sauce.
5. Pour the clam sauce over the hot linguine and toss gently to mix. sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve immediately.

Avignon Tomato And Eggplant Casserole

A tasty and filling vegetarian main dish.



* 1 large eggplant
* salt to taste
* 1/2 cup flour
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 4 medium sized tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and diced
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 tsp sugar
* 1/2 cup bread crumbs
* black pepper to taste
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 and 1/2 Tbl melted butter


Preheat oven to 375F. Remove stem and skin eggplant, and cut it crosswise into 1/2" thick slices. Lay the round slices in a single layer on a plate, sprinkle liberally with salt, and set aside for about 30 minutes to allow the salt to draw out excess moisture. Wipe salt and excess moisture from eggplant, and dredge in flour. In wide skillet,heat all but 1 Tbl oil, and fry eggplant, turning once, until browned on both sides. remove from heat. In the same skillet, heat the remaining Tbl oil and add the tomatoes, garlic, and sugar. Cook for approximately five minutes. Add 1 Tbl bread crumbs with salt and black pepper. In a casserole dish, arrange eggplant and tomatoes, beginning with eggplant on the bottom, and ending with tomatoes on the top. combine the remaining bread crumbs with the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle on top. Dribble the melted butter over the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the bread crumb and cheese topping is browned. Serves 4.

Broiled Tomatoes With Black Olives And Romano Cheese

These tasty, cheesy tomatoes make a wonderful side dish with dinner, and can even be served as a light summertime lunch!




* 4 medium tomatoes
* 2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic, pressed
* salt to taste
* black pepper to taste
* 1/2 cup black olives, pitted and minced
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
* 1 tsp minced parsley


Preheat broiler. Slice tomatoes in half. Arrange cut side up, on a cookie sheet or broiler pan. Combine the olive oil and garlic. Dribble over tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with black olives and cheese. Place tomatoes under broiler for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and begins to brown. Remove from broiler, garnish with minced parsley, and serve. Serves 4

Struffoli

These crisp, fried pastry puffs are an essential ending to the traditional Italian Christmas Day dinner.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup honey
Multicolored candy sprinkles


In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.
Add the eggs and zest. Stir until well blended.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 1-2 minutes.
Add a little more flour if dough seems sticky.
Shape the dough into a ball, cover with an overturned bowl. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough into 1/2-inch thick ropes then cut into 1/2-inch nuggets.
Heat about 2 inches of oil to 370 degrees F. in a wide saucepan or deep fryer.
Begin adding struffoli in batches into the oil to fit without crowding.
Cook, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon, until crisp and brown, about 1 minute.
Remove the struffoli with the slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain.
When all the struffoli are fried, gently heat the honey just to a simmer in a wide saucepan.
Remove the honey from the heat, add the struffoli and coat well.
Pile the struffoli into a mound on a large platter. Dust with the multicolored sprinkles.
Best served the day they are made.