Rae Udy

RECIPES: Grape Cooler, Grilled Eggplant Tomato Sandwiches, Creamy Blueberry Shake

By Rae Udy

The new USDA Food Guide Pyramid recommends an intake of five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day for healthier living. This sounds intimidating but it really isn’t. A serving is probably less than you may think. A medium-size piece of fruit, a six-ounce can of 100 percent fruit juice or one-quarter cup of dried fruit each count as one serving of fruit. One cup fresh leafy greens, one-half cup fruit, vegetable, peas or beans are one serving each of vegetables.
The Produce for Better Health Foundation has started a new program called 5 A Day The Color Way with the purpose of creating a healthier America through increased consumption of vegetables and fruits. Representatives from the National Cancer Institute, The United States Department of Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society, along with other PBH partners, have the goal of increasing fruit and vegetable intake in Americans by 75 percent by 2010.
Nutritious vegetables and fruits are divided into categories by color, with each color high in certain vitamins and minerals. The five easy-to-remember colors are: blue/purple, green, white, yellow/orange and red.
The blue and purple produce can help memory function and urinary tract health. Vision health and strong bones and teeth are benefits of the green group of fruits and vegetables. White, tan and brown fruit and vegetables contain phytochemicals to help heart health and help keep cholesterol levels low. The yellow/orange color group provides heart and vision health and help in maintaining a healthy immune system.
Lycopene and anthocyanins are specific phytochemicals scientists are researching for their health-promoting properties relating to heart health, memory retention and cancer risk. These are found in fruits and vegetables in the red color group.
The PBH and the 5 A Day program make it easy to eat a serving of each color group every day to receive the full preventive benefits of vegetables and fruits. They also say fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruits and vegetables are all nutritious and each offers an option for your busy lifestyle.
The following recipes for a breakfast smoothie, hearty sandwich and delicious dessert are included with permission from the PBH website. Check out www.5aday.com for nutritional information, recipe analysis and more helpful hints about eating healthy. One serving of each of these simple-to-make recipes will provide 5.5 servings of the colorful fruit and vegetables recommended by the USDA Pyramid. If you add fresh spinach or lettuce to the sandwich you will have eaten a fruit or vegetable from every 5 A Day color catagory.

GRAPE COOLER
4 cups pure Concord grape juice
1 cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Dash of ground cinnamon
1 cup ice cubes
Combine all ingredients in blender except ice cubes. Blend on medium speed until well mixed. Add ice cubes and blend. Pour into glasses to serve four. Yields four 5 A Day servings at 1.5 each.

GRILLED EGGPLANT TOMATO SANDWICHES
1 medium eggplant cut into ½ (one-half) inch thick slices
1 Tablespoon salt
1 ½ (one and one-half) Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 Tablespoons finely minced fresh basil
8 slices, crusty bread (one-half inch thick)
4 ripe, medium tomatoes
Fresh ground black pepper
½ (one-half) cup crumbled Feta cheese (optional)
Do not peel eggplant. Remove end and cut into one-half inch slices. Sprinkle both sides with salt and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Thoroughly rinse slices to remove all salt and drain on paper towels. Combine olive oil and garlic then lightly brush each slice. Grill under broiler with medium-high heat until soft. Remove immediately and sprinkle with basil. Meanwhile, slice tomatoes into one-third inch thick slices and season with black pepper. Arrange tomatoes and eggplant on four slices of bread. Season with pepper and crumbles Feta cheese. Top with second slice of bread and serve immediately. Yields four 5 A Day servings of 2.5 each.

CREAMY BLUEBERRY SHAKE
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, washed and sorted if fresh
2 small ripe bananas
1/3 cup honey
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 ½ (one and one-half) cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 cup frozen vanilla low-fat ice cream
4 sprigs of mint
Combine blueberries, bananas, honey and lemon juice and puree on High speed in blender. Add yogurt and ice cream and blend until thick and smooth. Serve immediately in cold glasses decorated with sprigs of mint. Yields four 5 A Day servings of 1.5 each.

BLUE/PURPLE color group includes blackberries, blueberries, purple grapes, plums, raisins, eggplant and purple cabbage.

GREEN color group includes green grapes, pears and apples. Also vegetables like broccoli, green beans, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, okra, peas, green peppers, snap peas and zucchini.

WHITE color group includes bananas, dates, cauliflower, mushrooms, potatoes, turnips, white corn, garlic and the complete onion family.

YELLOW/ORANGE color group includes apricots, cantaloupe, pineapples and citrus fruits. Vegetables such as yellow squash, carrots, pumpkins, corn and sweet potatoes are part of this colorful group.

RED color group includes red apples, cherries, red grapes, pink grapefruit, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, beets, red peppers, radishes, red potatoes and tomatoes.

All recipes and information from www.5aday.org.

Eat five or more servings of vegetables and fruits every day for healthier living. (photo by Rae Udy)