Cooking with Tammy Kelly: February is National Heart Healthy Month

February is Heart Healthy Month, a crucial time each year to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease, and why;

 *Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

 *Prioritizing your heart can help you avoid other serious illnesses.

 *Self-care is heart-health care.

 What is a heart-healthy diet?  A heart-healthy diet is one that limits saturated fat, trans fat, dietary cholesterol, and sodium while adding heart-healthy foods in an attempt to lower your blood cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of heart disease. 

According to the American Heart Association, saturated fat should not exceed seven percent of your total calories, trans fat should not exceed one percent and cholesterol should be less than 300 milligrams.

Excess sodium pulls water into your blood vessels, which increases the pressure to your vessels which makes your heart work harder, over time, the blood pressure will overstretch the vessels and cause plaque build-up which eventually will block blood flow.  High blood pressure is referred to as a “Silent Killer” because its symptoms are less obvious.  It is estimated that over 61% of US adults will have high blood pressure by 2050, in Lenoir County the number is higher that the national average.  

 So how do you follow a heart healthy diet? Eat a good balance of fresh, fiber-rich fruits and veggies; whole grains; and healthy proteins, such as nuts, skinless fish and poultry. Practicing self-care can keep our hearts healthy. 

Being physically active, eating healthier foods, getting enough sleep, not smoking, and finding healthy ways to reduce stress can help prevent heart disease. And, when we take care of our hearts, we set an example for those around us to do the same.

 Since Sodium is a major player in the Heart Healthy game, what are some ways we can reduce our sodium intake?  

The dietary guidelines for sodium intake recommends that we consume less than 2,300 mg per day, dieticians will say 2,000 mg per day is better, especially if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure or heart disease.  Most Americans consume about 50% more than that.  

Here are some tips for reducing the sodium in your diet;

Learn to read nutrition labels, check the amount of sodium per serving and choose those items with lower sodium, the most important thing is to count your milligrams.  

Cook meals at home, that way you control the sodium in your meal.  

Flavor your foods with herbs and spices instead of salt.

Rinse canned beans and vegetables to remove excess sodium.  Use fresh whenever possible. Also look for foods that are labeled “sodium free” or “reduced sodium”.  

Recently I have been searching for some low sodium recipes for easy weekday dinners, here are some I have, or am giving a try.  

Sheet Pan Asian Chicken

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon siracha sauce

½ cup water

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast

1 large head broccoli

¼ cup sugar snap peas

4 bunches baby bok choy, cut into wedges

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon local honey

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced 

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 red bell peppers, sliced 

1 medium onion, chopped

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 cups cauliflower rice

1 to 2 green onions, chopped

In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha, and garlic.

Place the chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag and pour ¼ cup of the sauce over the chicken.  Marinate the chicken, chilled for 2 hours or overnight.  

In a small saucepan, add the remaining sauce and the ½ cup water, cook over medium high heat.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  In a small cup, combine the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and pour into the saucepan.  Stir to combine and cook until the sauce thickens.  Remove from the heat.  

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a large baking pan with parchment paper.  Arrange the chicken breasts (with the marinade) in the center of the baking pan.  Arrange the bell peppers, broccoli, onion, and snap peas around the chicken and drizzle with the oil.  Bake for 20 minutes.  

Remove from the oven, toss the vegetables and add the bok choy.  Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the sauce over vegetables and bake for 10 minutes.  

Remove from the oven.  Slice the chicken into strips and serve with the vegetables over cauliflower rice.  Drizzle with additional sauce.  Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.  

Serves 4, each serving contains; Calories 268, Fat 6g., Sodium 488mg., Carbohydrates 20g., Fiber 5g., Protein 30g.

Low Sodium Spaghetti Sauce

3 28ounce cans No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes

1/3 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup white wine

¼ cup fresh basil, julienned

Fresh ground black pepper

In a large saucepan, begin by sauteing the olive oil and garlic over low heat until the garlic gets slightly brown.  

Add the tomatoes, juice and all.  Stir and add the white wine and the basil.  Stir until all ingredients are mixed and simmer in low for 25 minutes.  

Serve over pasta, garlic bread, as a dip for mozzarella sticks, or use as pizza sauce, anywhere you would use jarred spaghetti sauce.  

Yields 8 servings, each serving contains; Calories 108, Carbohydrates 2g., Fat 1g., Fiber 1g., Sodium 2 mg. 

Low Sodium Eggplant Parmesan

1 large eggplant

4 cups low sodium tomato sauce (see recipe above)

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1 ½ cups low sodium panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

8 ounces pasta, such as angel hair

¼ cup fresh basil

4 tablespoons parmesan cheese, shredded, or one thinly sliced piece of mozzarella

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Slice your eggplant to ½ inch thick slices.  Place them on baking sheet, and bake for 20-22 minutes until some of the moisture has backed out.  Allow them to cool.  

Meanwhile heat up your low sodium tomato sauce, and cook on low heat, covered, until simmering.  

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 

Take 3 bowls and place them on your counter.  Fill one with the all-purpose flour, one with eggs, lightly scrambled, and one with the low sodium breadcrumbs and the Italian seasoning.  

Take each eggplant slice and dredge it through the flour, then dip it in the egg mixture, and then coat it in breadcrumbs.  

Repeat until all eggplant slices are covered.  

Place the coated eggplant slices I the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  

While the eggplant is baking, cook your pasta according to package instructions, don’t salt the pasta water.  Drain and set aside.  

Assemble your plate or bowl, add the cooked pasta and top with the low sodium tomato sauce, and add slices of the baked eggplant.  Top with a sprinkle of basil and Parmesan cheese or Mozzarella.  

Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

(Modified from an Eating Well Recipe, I have also made this one with shrimp)

1 pound of chicken cutlets or tenders

¼ teaspoon salt, divided

¼ teaspoon ground pepper, divided

½ cup slivered oil-packed sun-dried, plus one tablespoon oil from the jar, I have used the sun-dried tomatoes in a bag and 1 tablespoon of olive oil

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ cup dry white wine

½ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Sprinkle chicken with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Heat sun-dried tomato oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, about 6 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

Add sun-dried tomatoes and onions to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Increase heat to high and add wine. Cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the liquid has mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in cream, any accumulated juices from the chicken and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper; simmer for 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and turn to coat with the sauce. Serve the chicken topped with the sauce and basil.

Serves 4, each serving contains; Calories 324, Fat 19g., Carbohydrates 8g., Protein 5g., Sodium 250 mg.

Low Sodium Cheeseburger Soup

1 pound lean ground beef 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, diced

½ teaspoon dried basil

¼ cup flour, almond flour if you want to reduce the carbs

3 cups low sodium beef broth

1 cup milk, (I used ½ cup heavy cream)

4 medium potatoes, for low carb use cauliflower

1/8 teaspoon turmeric

4 ounces cream cheese

2 lemons juiced

14 ounces no salt added diced tomatoes

¼ cup fresh parsley

 In a large pot, brown the ground beef over 8-10 minutes, until fully cooked through (no more pink). Remove the cooked meat from the pot, drain the grease, and set the meat aside.

In the same pot, sauté the onions for 5-6 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the carrots and dried basil and sauté for a 3-4 minutes more.

To the vegetables, add the 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, sprinkle in the flour, and stir to make a thick roux to coat the vegetables.

Add the chicken broth and stir well until the flour has dissolved into the broth.

Add the potatoes and the milk to the soup. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Add the ground beef back to the pot, and stir in the turmeric, cream cheese, and the diced tomatoes. Stir until the cream cheese dissolves.

Finish the soup with the fresh lemon juice and parsley. Serve hot!

Serves 6, each serving contains; Calories 394, Fat 16g., Carbohydrates 42g., Protein 24g., Sodium 152mg.