Follower Sunday: “Thank You Readership!” Mediterranean Breadsticks with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis in Honor of Mediterranean Month for May

Each Sunday, I thank my readership for their loyalty and dedication to my blog, by providing a healthy recipe.  To those that know, this is a healthy repeat, but for those that are unaware and are new to the blog, this is my way of “giving back.”  It is also a way to “Pay it Forward.”  Each Sunday, you have a healthy recipe to prepare for yourself or for your loved ones.  Today is a “Mediterranean Breadsticks with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis”  Recipe”  from Sonalee Trivedi,  and Pillsbury in honor of Mediterranean Month for May.

          

 

INGREEDIENTS:

• Breadsticks:

1. 2 T. Land O Lakes unsalted or salted Butter
2. 1 T. pure Olive Oil
3. 1 large onion, cut into 1/8 inch slices about 2 cups
4. 1/4 teaspoon sugar
5. 1/8 teaspoon salt
6. 1/3 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes in oil, cut into 1/8 inch slices
7. 1/4 cup feta cheese (1 0z.)
8. 2 Cans (11 0z.) each Pillsbury refrigerated original breadsticks (24 breadsticks)

• Coulis

1. 1/2 Cup drained roasted red bell peppers (from 7 oz. jar)
2. 1/4 tsp. salt
3. 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped ( about 2 Tablespoons)
4. 2 T. pure olive oil

 

PREPARATION:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat 10-inch skillet over medium -high heat.  Add butter and 1 T. oil; heat until butter is melted.  Add onion; cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and golden brown.  Remove from heat.  Stir in tomatoes and cheese.  Set aside.
2. Unroll breadstick dough into 2 -sections. Separate breadsticks, leaving pairs of breadsticks together.  Spread about 2 teaspoons onion mixture evenly over each pair of breadsticks.  For each pair, fold breadsticks together lengthwise; pinch edges of to seal.  Twist stuffed breadsticks 3 times; place 1-inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in food processor or blender, place red peppers, 1/4 teaspoon salt and basil. With food processor running, slowly pour 2 tablespoons oil through feed tube; process until well- blended.  Serve coulis with warm breadsticks.
   

Great News! Receipe Contest…May is Mediterranean Month

Dear Readers:

With proper attribution credit given to Oldways and the Mediterranean Foods alliance, I'm writing on behalf of Oldways, the parent organization of the Mediterranean Foods Alliance. This information is from their website to share with you. Why? Because May is Mediterranean Month and they are currently holding a recipe contest.

To participate in the contest, food lovers are asked to create a recipe that uses at least two foods from the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid for a chance to be a Grand Prize Winner or one of nine finalists. The Grand Prize Winner will receive a sumptuous basket of Mediterranean foods from our MFA members. Other prizes include a variety of delicious Mediterranean products and autographed copies of our acclaimed recipe book, The Oldways Table.

After creating your recipe, send it to Alison Clancy at aclancy@oldwayspt.org before May 31st. The finalists will be chosen by a panel of experts on the Oldways staff, and the winners will be announced during the first week of June. For more contest information, look on the Oldways and MFA websites or on The Oldways Table Blog.

Other resources for celebrating Med Month in May include:

● The Power of $2: Easy Affordable Med Recipes, a free downloadable sampler of Med main dishes and sides costing $2 or less per person.

● A Mediterranean Month Calendar, featuring 31 daily tips for following the Mediterranean Diet.

● A Seasonal 7-Day Mediterranean Menu: 7 days of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks, with calorie counts.

● A 2' X 3' poster with an updated illustration of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid (available at The Oldways Store).

Scientific studies consistently report that the healthy Mediterranean Diet and its lifestyle practices reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Plus, there is compelling evidence that omega-3s, found in a number of Mediterranean Diet foods, can boost the health and brainpower of both mothers and infants.  Oldways and the MFA are celebrating Mediterranean Month to help consumers bring the Mediterranean Diet into their daily meals.

For more information on Mediterranean Month, visit the MFA website at www.mediterraneanmark.org or Oldways at www.oldwayspt.org

• A month to enjoy Mediterranean ingredients, cooking, menus and lifestyles. Celebrate with the MFA, its members and Oldways:

• 2) Sample the 7-Day Mediterranean Meal Plan.
• Click here to eat Mediterranean every day this week!
• 3) Look for meal ideas on the MFA website including budget-friendly recipes and ideas.
• 4) Follow the Med Month Calendar Tips –
• Click here to download your calendar today!

Best of luck!

Anthony

Eat Right: Extending Your Healthy Life

Face-lifts, Botox injections, and other anti-aging procedures are all the rage—yet doctors still have not developed a surgical procedure that will add years to your life (angioplasty doesn’t count.)  “With enough money, you can always look good on the outside,” says Ralph Felder, MD, Ph.D., coauthor of The Bonus Years Diet.  “Reversing the aging process internally is much more difficult.”  And, while a healthy diet won’t necessarily make you look like Demi Moore, it can extend your life.

To get some perspective on what proper nutrition and diet can mean for your health, think of your body as an engine—if you will—a machine.  The higher the octane of the fuel you put into it, the better it’s going to run.  Now, consider what might happen to your internal machinery after ten years of fueling up on double burgers, high-fat cheese, grease-laden fries, and milkshakes:  painfully slow blood flow, and hardened arteries.  Not pretty.

Here’s the good news:  By changing your diet and starting to eat right, we can increase the changes for enjoying a longer life.  Here's how to start:  Quit focusing on the obvious culprits (steak with saturated fat along the outside and béarnaise, buttery mashed potatoes, and full-fat ice cream) and start loading up-on healthful foods.  Let’s try perhaps an egg-white omelet with veggies and some whole wheat toast for breakfast; a small apple between breakfast and lunch; a lean turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato, a small glass of V-8 juice and a dish of fresh cut-up fruit; some non-fat yogurt and chopped walnuts between lunch and dinner; a nicely trimmed skinless grilled chicken breast with sautéed onions, mushrooms and green peppers, coupled with some garlic mashed potatoes made with low-sodium smart balance butter, along side some applesauce for a healthy dinner.  According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, eating seven “super” foods daily (red wine, dark chocolate, fruits, vegetables, garlic, fish, and nuts) in the appropriate portion sizes can reduce heart disease risk by seventy-five percent and add an average of 6 years to your life.

Slash your calorie intake.  Since the 1930s, studies have shown that calorie-restricted diets improve the health and extend the life span of rodents.  Now researchers are learning that slashing calories may have similar beneficial effects in humans.  A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, for instance, found that 2 markers of longevity (fasting insulin level and body temperature) were lowered in humans through prolonged calorie restriction.

Nutrition professionals consistently report that a Mediterranean-style diet—including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and a daily glass of red wine—promotes longevity.  (In my opinion, this does not give everyone a license to drink as much as they want.)  In fact, studies show that this type of diet lowers conditions ranging from cancer to stroke.  In 2 separate studies, researchers found that “going Mediterranean” not only protects against Alzheimer’s disease, but also enables people who have the disease to live an average of 4 years longer.  The more closely participants adhered to the diet, the greater the benefit they saw.

Emphasize plant-based eating.  I suspect that you’d be hard-pressed to find a dietitian expert who would argue against eating more fruits and vegetables.  Plant foods are loaded with antioxidants, powerful disease-fighting chemicals that help counteract damage from free radicals, oxidations, stress, pollution and other environmental toxins.  They are loaded with flavonoids, phenols, polyphenols, and thousands of other chemicals we have not even discovered yet, which help prevent disease.  Make today the first day to extend your life the healthy way.

Source:  Everydayhealth.com

Great News—Recipe Contest!

Dear Readers:

With proper attribution credit given to Oldways and the Mediterranean Foods alliance, I'm writing on behalf of Oldways, the parent organization of the Mediterranean Foods Alliance. This information is from their website to share with you. Why? Because May is Mediterranean Month and they are currently holding a recipe contest.

• A month to enjoy Mediterranean ingredients, cooking, menus and lifestyles. Celebrate with the MFA, its members and Oldways:

1) Enter the Med Diet Recipe Contest to win Mediterranean foods,

    products, and the Oldways cookbook, “The Oldways Table”.

2) Sample the 7-Day Mediterranean Meal Plan.

Click here to eat Mediterranean every day this week!

3) Look for meal ideas on the MFA website including budget-

friendly recipes and ideas.

4) Follow the Med Month Calendar Tips –

Click here to download your calendar today!

Best of luck!

Anthony