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2B Daily News – Wednesday, May 1, 2013 County Fare & fresh tasty Pair shrimp, spinach for easy meal By Susan Selasky Detroit Free Press (MCT) When I saw today's recipe for Shrimp Francese in the April issue of Food Network magazine, it was the spinach and tomatoes that caught my eye. Several recipes in this month's lot of food magazines feature grape or cherry tomatoes and spinach. Many make use of cooked tomatoes because sautéing or even roasting grape tomatoes gives them an extra burst of sweetness. And the spinach? Well, it's just a nutritional bonus. A dark leafy green, spinach is a good source of vitamins and minerals and is low in calories. When it comes to shrimp, a 4- to 5-ounce serving goes a long way. A good source of protein, shrimp is categorized by how many are in 1 pound. The lower the number, the bigger the shrimp. Look for the count listed on the package or a label next to the price at seafood counters. Choosing which size to buy depends on how you plan to use or serve the shrimp. For main-dish servings, I go with the larger, 16 to 21 count per pound. Nice and plump, they make for a nice presentation. Sometimes shrimp is labeled with terms like colossal, jumbo, extralarge, large, medium and small. I have found that when they are labeled that way, the sizes vary from store to store. For example, the original recipe called for 1 1⁄4 pounds extra-large shrimp or about 20 shrimp or 5 shrimp per serving. The shrimp labeled extra-large at my store had 26 to 30 per pound. I opted for the jumbos at 16 to 25 per pound, and they were decent-size shrimp. Nutrition experts meet to discuss healthy-eating advice By Carolyn O'Neil The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (MCT) MCT photo Shrimp Francese makes for an easy meal. Spinach is a nutritional bonus. You can find most raw shrimp peeled and deveined. If they are not peeled, you might see the label EZ-Peel. This means that the shrimp are deveined and their shells are cut or split through the back, making them easier to peel. If they are not, use a small pair of scissors to cut along the back through the shell and into the flesh so you can remove the dark vein. For this recipe, the shrimp are butterflied, so you'll want to cut a little deeper into the flesh along the back. Francese in this recipe means "in the French manner" and refers to food that is usually dipped in egg and then in seasoned flour and fried to golden brown. SHRIMP FRANCESE Serves: 4 / Preparation time: 15 minutes Total time: 40 minutes 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 20 shrimp) 3 large eggs Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper Greens mean go By Susan M. Selasky 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, divided Olive or canola oil for frying 1 cup all-purpose flour 2/3 cup fat-free, lowsodium chicken broth 3⁄4 cup dry white wine Juice of 11⁄2 lemons 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 2 packages (5 ounces each) baby spinach Make a deep cut along the outer curved edge of the shrimp, then spread open like a book. Pat dry. Whisk the eggs with 1/2teaspoon salt, 1/4teaspoon pepper and 1 tablespoon parsley in a bowl. Heat about 1/8 inch oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Put the flour in a shallow bowl. Working in batches, dredge the shrimp in the flour, dip in the egg mixture and add to the skillet cut-side down; fry, turning, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour out any oil from the skillet and wipe clean. Add the broth, wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and cook until the sauce is slightly reduced, 4 minutes. Push the tomatoes to one side; whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time. Stir in the shrimp and the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley. Meanwhile, put the spinach in a microwavesafe bowl, sprinkle with water and season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and pierce the plastic; microwave until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Divide the spinach and shrimp mixture among plates and top with the sauce. Adapted from Food Network magazine, April 2013 issue. Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. 478 calories (57 percent from fat), 31 grams fat (10 grams sat. fat), 20 grams carbohydrates, 32 grams protein, 658 sodium, 326 mg cholesterol, 3 grams fiber. A billboard caught my attention recently on my drive to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. It read simply, "Unlearn Unhealthy." It's a message from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta as part of its ongoing Strong 4 Life campaign to provide families with solutions to improve their health. I wondered what "unhealthy" means in this context. Too many soft drinks instead of water? Too many cookies instead of carrots? Too much TV couch time instead of outdoor playtime? Yup, you've got it. Strong 4 Life aims to turn those bad habits around. I was on my way to Boston to attend the annual gathering of nutrition researchers at the 2013 Experimental Biology, or EB, meeting, so I made it my goal to see what they thought of the effectiveness of the negative phrasing of "unlearn unhealthy." A leading authority on obesity, Dr. Jim Hill, professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado, says, "People need to know what to do. You can't teach by communicating the negative." Hill is co-founder of the National Weight Control Registry, which keeps track of folks who've lost weight and kept it off for more than five years. The healthy habits they share include walking and eating breakfast every day, checking body weight at least once a week and watching less than 10 hours of TV per week. Young nutrition investigators presenting studies at the EB meeting are focused on providing actionable advice, too. Laura O'Connor, a senior studying nutrition at Purdue University, says, "I feel the first approach would be to teach what's healthy. It's hard for people to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy." To test positive messages to inspire healthy behavior change, O'Connor and co-investigators conducted a study using text messages sent to male and female college students. "This population is always on the phone and texting." Seven weeks of seven different nutrition messages taken from the USDA's MyPlate dietary guidance were sent as texts. "We didn't want to annoy them, so we only sent them twice a week," O'Connor says. But apparently the texts were being read and resonated. The study found significant increase in fruit consumption and a trend toward increased vegetable consumption in the group receiving the nutrition tip texts. Much of the research presented by members of the American Society for Nutrition at EB this year focused on the benefits of foods and nutrients to eat more of, not avoid. Nutrition scientists are learning more about fiber's role in weight control. Evidence on the disease prevention power of plant nutrients such as antioxidants, flavonoids, polyphenols and carotenoids is so strong many believe they need their own official nutrient category like vitamins and minerals. What is there to figure out next? How much cranberry juice to drink or how many blueberries to gobble to garner the healthy effects? What they do know is that consuming more fruits, vegetables, healthy oils in fish and fiber in whole grains keeps rising to the top of the "to-do" list. That's a healthy start. Pear salsa spices up salmon Detroit Free Press (MCT) By Linda Gassenheimer McClatchy-Tribune DETROIT — Spring greens are popping up at grocery stores and farmers markets. Spring greens' superior quality and sometimes lower prices have folks snapping up those green pea shoots, soft green baby lettuces and peppery arugula, and those broad green leaves of chard with stems that pop with color. And don't forget asparagus, which might not be locally grown but adds a bright accent to any dish. Although it's very early in the growing season, hoop house and greenhouse growers make it possible to enjoy local spring greens now. Karlene Goetz, 59, owner of Goetz Farms in Riga, Mich., says they have greenhouse-grown chard, arugula and a spicy mix of greens (mustard, mizuna and lettuce). "With chard they have more vitamins, and you can use the stems," she says. Says Kellie Carbone of Ann Arbor, "My cravings change in the spring," adding that she tends to eat lighter, greener foods. Her favorite? Sunflower shoots, which she describes as having a lemony taste. "These (sunflower shoots) are like a shot of adrenaline," she says. "I eat them in salads and as a snack." Kate Woods, of Ann Arbor, agrees and says, "Everything is better with greens." Woods uses the sunflower and pea shoots in salads and stir-fries and as a garnish for soup. "The sunflower shoot is the most sturdy and has a lemony flavor with remnants of sunflower seeds and an edge of nuttiness," she says. Woods picked up a bag of pea shoots from Garden Works organic farm in Ann Arbor. A market darling, pea shoots are rich in vitamins A and C and can be eaten raw, cooked in stir-fries and sauteed. They dress up any dish as a garnish. "They're very tender, and have the same flavor as a pea pod," says Robert MacKercher, 46, who owns Garden Works. "They're very good sauteed with olive oil and garlic." But the appeal of spring produce goes beyond the taste. As farmers markets gear up for the summer season, sales of spring greens are a healthy pick-me-up for those who eat them and those who sell them. Says MacKercher: "It's a nice spring boost for everybody." Juicy pink salmon is topped with a sweet and spicy pear and red pepper salsa for a meal that takes only minutes to make. The salsa gives just the right sparkle to the rich salmon. Picking a ripe pear, or one that will ripen, can be tricky. Here are some hints. Always ripen pears in a bowl at room temperature. This will take 4 to 6 days for a hard, green pear or 2 to 3 days for yellow pears. Once they are ripe, place them in the refrigerator. The recipe gives the cooking time for a 1-inch thick salmon fillet. Reduce the time by 1 minute per side for a thinner piece; increase it by a minute or two per side for a thicker piece. The salmon is cooked when the fish is no longer translucent. It will continue to cook in its own heat for a few minutes after it is removed from the skillet. Fresh fettuccini is available in most markets. It only takes about 3 minutes to cook. Fred Tasker's wine suggestion: Salmon with this sweet, juicy salsa would go well with a fruity Beaujolais. This meal contains 630 calories per serving with 26 percent of calories from fat. Helpful Hints: A sweet apple can be substituted for the pear. Thinly sliced zucchini can be substituted for the spinach in the fettuccini dish. Add it to the boiling water with the pasta and cook both together for 3 minutes. Countdown: Place water for pasta on to boil. Make salsa. Saute salmon. Cook fettuccini and spinach. ——— SAUTEED SALMON WITH PEAR PEPPER SALSA 1 small ripe pear (about 1 cup cubed) 1⁄2 red pepper (about 1 cup cubed) 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (about 1 tablespoon) 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon lime juice 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro Salt and freshly ground black pepper Olive oil spray 3⁄4 pound wild-caught salmon fillet Core pear (do not peel) and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces over a bowl to catch the pear juice. Add pieces to the bowl. Seed bell pepper and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces; add to bowl. Add the jalapeno pepper, cumin, lime juice, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well and set aside. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and spray with olive oil. Add the salmon fillets. For a oneinch thick fillet saute 4 minutes, turn and saute 4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste to the cooked sides. Remove to dinner plates and serve salsa on top. Makes 2 servings. FLORENTINE FETTUCCINI 1⁄4 pound fresh fettuccini 1 package (8 to 10 ounces) washed, ready-toeat baby spinach 2 teaspoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper Bring a large saucepan filled with 3 to 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add the fettuccini and boil 3 minutes. Add the spinach, stir and drain. Return the fettuccini and spinach to the pan and add the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well. Transfer to dinner plates. Makes 2 servings.