Healthy Dining Demonstration: Tilapia, Fettuccine, Vegetables and Coulis

For July’s Healthy Dining Demonstration, Becoming Center members enjoyed tilapia with fettuccine, vegetables and coulis. John Fairchild, Becoming Center Nutritionist, and Gary Sugaliski, executive chef at Artman Lutheran Home, demonstrated how to make the meal and gave tips on healthy cooking and on buying the best seafood. If you missed it, here is the recipe and some helpful tips. Ingredients:
Tilapia – 3 ounce (coated with garlic lemon and pepper)
Fettuccine noodles – 1 C
Mixed Vegetables (carrot, asparagus, squash, zucchini, onion, tomato) – 1 ½ C
Coulis ( vegetable stock, fennel, spinach, basil, shallot, parsley, lemon, pepper) –4oz Parmesan cheese – 1 Tbsp grated
Calories 370, Fat 4.5g, Carb 53g, Protein 30g

Food Tips from http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_recommendations.aspx/

Buying Seafood – good for you and good for the earth (how fish is caught- hook and line vs. bottom trawlers and where it’s from – American Seas (north east)

Great choices – Albacore Tuna or Skipjack light water canned, Pacific Halibut, Alaskan Salmon, U.S. Spiny Lobster, farmed clams mussels and oysters, farmed Arctic Char

Safe choices – Black sea bass, U.S. and Canadian Shrimp, Tilapia

Occasional use – Chilean Sea Bass, Atlantic Flounder and Halibut, Imported King Crab, Monk, Red Snapper, Farmed salmon

How to buy:
Bright clear eyes
Metallic shine and clean
Smell (cucumber)
Rich red gills not brick red
Finger pressure

Pasta

• Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Spaghetti

Per ¼ cup (dry): 180 calories, 7 g protein, 6 g fiber vs. Regular at 210 calories, 2g fiber, 6g protein

• Barilla Plus added a grain and legume flour blend that includes lentils, chickpeas, egg whites, spelt, barley, flaxseed, oat fiber and oats. The egg whites and the legumes boost the protein, the barley and oats boost the soluble fiber, and the flaxseed provides some healthy plant omega-3s.

210 calories, 4g fiber, 10g protein, 2g fat

• Don’t rinse when using a sauce

Fennel:
Italian uses and Mediterranean cuisines
Slightly sweet licorice taste
Freshest fro Autumn to early Spring
All parts edible (stalk for soup stews and stocks)
High in Vit C, fiber and potassium.
Antioxidant rich and helps reduce inflammation (phytonutrient- Anethole)

Shallots:
Not technically a variety of onion
Mild taste (sweet onion and garlic)
Spring to early summer
More nutrients than onion family
Helps decrease blood pressure