Recipes

Delicious Ways to Improve Heart Health

Posted: 9/17/2010

(NAPSI) - No matter where you live, heart disease is preventable about 80 percent of the time with a healthy lifestyle. That's good news since heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for almost a third (17.1 million) of lost lives annually.

To this end, the nonprofit information source CanolaInfo has teamed up with the World Heart Federation, which is committed to global prevention of heart disease and stroke, to raise awareness about heart-smart eating.

"It's easy to forget that heart disease is not just a problem in one's own country but also around the world," says World Heart Federation Senior Science Officer Kathryn Taubert, Ph.D. "Diet plays a significant role in protecting or predisposing people to heart disease, so we hope to inspire them to eat more healthfully and make simple changes that may reduce their risk of the disease."

Six culinary experts representing the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Japan, China and India have created a World Heart-Smart Recipe Collection that creates a "passport to good nutrition" using traditional ethnic ingredients. Each recipe contains heart-healthy canola oil, which has the least saturated fat and most omega-3 fat of any cooking oil, zero trans fat and no cholesterol.

Representing the U.S., Carla Hall, chef and owner of Alchemy Caterers near Washington, D.C., and a finalist on Bravo's "Top Chef" Season 5, developed this recipe:

Fusilli Pasta with Chile Sauce and Black Bean-Fennel Relish

• 8 dried New Mexican chiles
• Boiling water, as needed
• 1 cup fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
• 2½ cups black beans, drained and rinsed, divided
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 10 oz. whole-grain fusilli pasta or other spiral-shaped pasta
• 1 small zucchini, grated, excluding core
• 1 small fennel bulb, cut in half, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• ¼ cup feta cheese for garnish

1) To prepare chile sauce: In a bowl, add chiles and cover with boiling water to rehydrate. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let chiles sit 30 minutes. When chiles have rehydrated, remove from water, reserving 1 cup chile water for later use. Make a slit down each chile, split them lengthwise and remove seeds. Be careful not to touch your eyes or other sensitive areas while handling chiles. Wash hands thoroughly. 2) In a food processor, add chiles, 1 cup reserved chile water, tomatoes, 1 cup black beans and canola oil. Purée until mixture is smooth and reserve for later use. 3) Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta in colander but do not rinse with water. 4) To prepare black bean relish: In a bowl, combine zucchini, fennel, parsley, scallions, lemon, remaining black beans and canola oil. Set aside. 5) In large saucepan over medium-low heat, warm chile sauce, stirring occasionally, 3−5 minutes until heated. Take off heat, add pasta and stir briefly to coat noodles with sauce. 6) Transfer pasta to large serving bowl and add black bean-fennel relish to center of pasta. Garnish with feta cheese and serve.

Yield: 6 servings. Serving size: 1 cup.

Nutritional Analysis per Serving: Calories 410, Total Fat 10 g, Saturated Fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol 5 mg, Sodium 250 mg, Carbohydrates 68 g, Fiber 16 g, Protein 16 g.

For the entire heart-smart recipe collection, go to www.canolainfo.org. For more information about heart disease, go to www.worldheart.org.