12 Thursday, July 3, 1997 Pahrump Valley Gazette
Food, Health and Fitness
Correction
In last week' s Food, Health and Fitness
page ,(6D/Y97) the Gazette erred in
placing the prefix "Dr." in front of John
Sayler's name. Sayler is a Physician
Assistant. He is not a medical doctor, as
explained in the accompanying article
entitled, "Physician assistants are vital
to medical facilities." Due to a production
error, we also neglected to list Saylex's
daughter, Brianna, when mentioning his
family. The Gazette regrets any
confusion or inconvenience this error
may cause.
The Chopping Block
by Philomena Corradeno
Don't be surprised that we're offering stews now when
many households are hauling out their outdoor equipment.
Not everyone has the fa-
cilities for cooking outdoors,
and I feel stew is ideal any
time. You can cook it ahead
-- its flavor improves when
held a day or two, refriger-
ated, of course.
In fact, having been
chilled, the solidified excess
fat can be easily removed,
making it a lower-fat dish.
Another advantage is that
you can cook up a big batch
and freeze some. It'sj ust about
as easy to cook a lot as to cook
only enough for one meal. Just
remember that in browning
meat, you don't want to crowd
the pan. Brown one layer at a time.
For these stews, we use a chicken or beef base called Better
Than Bouillon. In paste form,
their eight all-natural flavors
are made with real meat, sea-
food or vegetables in the meat-
less varieties.
In the Italian Stew, we sug-
gest frozen or refrigerated
tortellini but you may use shell
pasta, wagon wheels (ruoti),
nuggets, small bows or elbows
which are easier to find and
are small enough not to over-
power the other ingredients.
The Chicken Stew is en-
riched with fresh vegetables,
and the Bean Stew has the
zing of a Southwestern meal.
€
ITALIAN STEW
3 1/2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon beef base
8 to 10 cups hot water
1 pound Italian sweet sausage
1 (9-ounce) package tortellini
1 (9-ounce) package spinach torteUini
1/2 pound cabbage, shredded
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper
Combine beef base and water; set aside, cut sausage into
l/2-inch pieces.
In large saucepan, cook sausage until nicely browned.
Discard excess fat. Add beef base-water broth, tortellini,
cabbage, green pepper, zucchini, onion and tomato. Bring to
a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until
pasta is tender. Stir in basil and salt and pepper to taste. Serve
with grated Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, if desired.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
SIMPLE CHICKEN STEW
3 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base
3 cups hot water
1 (3 to 3 l/2-pound) chicken, cut up
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium potato, cubed
1 medium turnip, cubed
2 medium carrots, cubed
1 medium green pepper, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 or 2 ribs celery, diced
1 small onion, chopped
Thoroughly dissolve chicken base in hot water; set aside,
Brown cl:ken in oil in Dutch oven. Add chicken-base br.ot
heat to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 2 to 2 1/2
hours. Add potato, turnip, carrots, green pepper, celery and
onion. Simmer until vegetables are crisp-tender. Makes 5 tO
6 servings.
BEAN STEW
1 pound dried white beans, soaked overrdght
1 1/2
quarts fresh water
2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon chicken base
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped shallots, optional
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 (4-ounce) can chilies
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Drain soaked beans, discarding water. In large saucepan, combine drained beans, fresh water, chicken
base, onion, garlic, shallots and black pepper. Bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until beans
are tender, about 1 1/4 hours. Add salt to taste. Add water, if needed, during cooking.
Heat oil in skillet and saut6 chilies 1 minute. Add chilies to saucepan along with cumin, oregano,
cilantro, and cayenne. Add cooked chicken. Cook 20 minutes. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls
and top with cheese and green onion. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs *
How they work and who my need thee
Too much of a good thing. That's what you've got if
you have high cholesterol - one of the most common
health problems Americans face.
Cholesterol is in every cell of your body, and every
cell needs it. But your risk for cardiovascular disease
goes up considerably if you have too much of this waxy,
fatty substance in your blood.
Weight loss, a low-fat diet and other lifestyle changes
can help bring your cholesterol down. But sometimes,
they aren't enough. Your cholesterol level may still put
you at risk of heart attack or stroke.
Fortunately, there's.now an array of powerful drugs
available that can rapidly reduce your cholesterol and,
ultimately, the health risks it poses.
Why you need cholesterol
Cholesterol is just one kind of fat (lipid) in your blood.
It's often talked about as if it were a poison, but you can't
6
live without it. It's essential to your body's cell mem-
branes to be insulation of your nerves and to the produc-
tion of certain hormones. It also helps you digest food.
Your liver makes about 80 percent of the cholesterol in
your body. You take in the rest when you eat animal
products.
Like nutrients from digested food, cholesterol is trans-
ported throughout your body by your bloodstream. For
this to happen, your body coats cholesterol with a pro-
tein, The cholesterol -protein package is called a "lipo-
protein" (lip-oh-PRO-teen).
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is often
referred to as "bad" cholesterol. Over time, it can build up
in your blood vessels with other substances to form plaque.
That can cause a blockage, resulting in heart attack or
stroke. In contrast, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cho-
lesterol is often called "good" cholesterol because it helps
"'clean" cholesterol from your blood vessels.
