Serving the Nutritious Sprouts

Sprouts can be cooked or served raw as a plain vegetable. Use sprouts with the seeds (but not the hulls) attached. If you cook sprouts, take care not to overcook them, as this will destroy their crispness. Cook them just long enough to remove the raw flavor. All sprouts (with the exception of alfalfa) are appetizing when cooked.

To sauté sprouts, place a small amount of oil in a pan and add the sprouts plus a small amount of water or Tamara sauce. Cover the pan and cook for ten minutes (son pie prefer to cook sprouts for only five to eight mi Minced onion or mushrooms browned in the oil add as do shredded carrots, turnips, and cabbage.

You can also steam sprouts or brown them in an amount of oil.

Cooked sprouts can be added to any vegetable c nation for casserole dishes and are popular in stir vegetables. They are a great addition to dress up plat ads and scrambled eggs or omelets. Add them to salad or rice, use them in sandwich spreads, or mix with soft cheese for dips. Here are some Dietary Sprouts Recipes:

A. SPROUT RECIPES SPROUT SALAD

This salad is high in all nutrients and is especially good for people with cancer, arthritis, and colon disorders. (If you have colon disorder; be sure to chew the seeds well.)

a) 1 pound mixed bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts, rinsed thoroughly

b) 1 apple or onion, chopped l stalk celery, chopped 1 cup shredded carrots

c) 1 cup shredded turnip

d) l cup shredded red cabbage1/2 cucumber, chopped 1/2 cup raisins

e) 1/2 cup sesame or sunflower seeds

1. Place all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

2. Toss lightly with Good Things House Dressing (below) or any other dressing of your choice, and serve.

B. GOOD THIGNGS HOUSE DRESSIN

This is an all-purpose dressing that supplies unsaturated fatty acids. Lecithin is a wonderful brain food that is high in choline, inositol, and B vitamins. It is an emulsifier that holds muter and oil in suspension so they will not separate.

a) 3 cups apple cider or balsamic vinegar

b) 1 cup honey or 2 teaspoons barley malt sweetener

c) 1 cup water

d) 3 packages Hail's dry Italian dressing mix or 6 tablespoons dry Italian seasonings

e) 3 tablespoons minced dried onions 2 tablespoons dried parsley

f) 1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic or granules 7 tablespoon liquid lecithin

g) 11 cups expeller-pressed pure virgin olive, cannel, or other vegetable oil of your choice

1. Place all of the ingredients, except the oil, in a gallop jar. Shake well.

2. Fill the rest of the jar with oil (olive oil is the best for lowering cholesterol) and shake again. Store in the refrigerator and shake before each use.

C. Areat-tastiny sandwich

This is an Areat-tastiny sandwich that is easy to make.

a) 1 1-inch thick slice cream cheese or yogurt cheese

b) ½ avocado

c) 1 piece whole-grain pocket bread or regular whole-grain bread

d) 1 onion, sliced 1 tomato, sliced

e) 1 handful alfalfa sprouts, rinsed thoroughly

1. Mash the cream cheese or yogurt cheese and the avocado together.

2. Spread the cheese mixture in pocket bread or on sliced bread. Top with the onion, tomato, and sprouts, and serve.

Dietary Stocking: Cupboard, Refrigerator, and Freezer

To cook low calorie, you don't need to keep many bottled salad dressings, canned cream soups, and oils in your kitchen. Instead, stock your pantry with canned tomatoes, a flavorful olive oil, vinegars, and herbs and spices. Keep reading to find out about some good foods to keep on hand, by category.

On the shelf

You may have to dig a bit deeper into your pockets for these basics, but after you taste them, you'll agree that paying more is worth the extra flavor they deliver.

A good stock: Use stock (or broth) in salad dressings in place of some of the oil, to cook vegetables for more flavor, to start a homemade soup, or in place of butter or oil when a recipe says to saute in oil. Store extra> stocks (or broths) frozen in an ice cube tray to punch out. 2 tablespoons whenever needed. You also can buy canned broth. We think low-sodium chicken broth has the best flavor. For beef or fish, try stock base. They're super concentrated, and you must add water to them before use. Look for them in gourmet shops. They're pricey but worth it.

A selection of vinegars: Sherry, rice, raspberry, wine, and balsamic vinegar are all milder than acidic white or cider vinegar. To make a lowfat vinaigrette, you must cut back on oil as you do when you cook low-cal. But oil helps tame the punch of vinegar's acid, making the dressing taste mellower. Therefore, you need a milder vinegar. Also consider using vinegar to saute chicken breasts, or add a splash instead of fattening butter or cream sauces.

Hills of beans: You can keep beans dry and cook them or stock many different kinds in cans. Either way, beans can be pureed into sandwich spreads and dips, added to soups, and sprinkled on salads as a nearly fat-free yet protein-packed alternative to meats and cheeses.

Tomatoes galore: Take advantage of the variety of canned tomato products sprouting in the supermarket. Many of them are already seasoned, which is a time-cutting, but not calorie-building, bonus for you. Thicken them with a little cornstarch (about 1 teaspoon to an 8-ounce can) or reduce them simply by boiling, and you have the start of a sauce for pasta, vegetables, grilled fish, or chicken.

In the refrigerator and freezer

Of course, your fridge will be stocked with many fresh fruits and vegetables and plain frozen ones, which are a lot lower in calories than the frozen ones packaged in sauce or butter. But leave room for these diet helpers, too:

Lowfat and reduced-fat cheeses: These can help you save fat and calories. Lowfat American, Monterey Jack, cheddar, and Havarti are good bets.

Good extra-virgin olive oil: You should use less oil on a reduced-calorie diet, so flavor counts. The earlier the press, the more flavor the olive delivers. Extra-virgin oil is made from the first press and has much more flavor than oil made from olives pressed several times.

Olive oil spoils quickly. In a hot kitchen, it can turn rancid in as little as six months, so keep it in the fridge. It thickens and turns cloudy when chilled, but a few minutes at room temperature returns it to a golden liquid without damaging the flavor.

Lowfat and reduced-fat cheeses: These can help you save fat and calories. Lowfat American, Monterey Jack, cheddar, and Havarti are good bets.

Aged cheese: Compared to soft cheese, aged ones are typically high in fat, but because their flavor is so pungent, you can use less - a cooking bonus. (See the section "Becoming a Calorie-Conscious Cook," earlier in this chapter.)

Whole grains: Whole grains don't have fewer calories than white, but they do have extra fiber, which helps fill you up. Studies show that people who eat an abundance of fiber have diets that are low in fat. Because whole grains go rancid quickly, store them in the fridge. Wholewheat flour, corn meal, cracked wheat, brown rice, and wheat germ lasts longer when kept in cold storage.

Fresh herbs:Use fresh herbs for garnish and flavor. Piney herbs, such as rosemary, sage, and thyme last longer than basil, oregano, cilantro, and mint. When using fresh herbs in recipes, add them at the end of cooking so that their flavors don't dissipate. (Dried herbs, on the other hand, are generally added early in the cooking process to coax as much flavor as possible from them.) Treat bunches of fresh basil like flowers; keep their stems in a vase of water outside of the refrigerator. Cold temperatures blacken and wilt the leaves.