Good nutrition starts from the ground up

(Southwestern Quinoa Salad in lettuce boats are paired with Stuffed Grape Tomato-Bud Roses)

Good nutrition should not be relegated to one month a year, but it's nice to have a reminder about what you're eating and how to improve your diet.

That's the gist of National Nutrition Month, a program sponsored by the American Dietetic Association. This year's theme is Nutrition from the Ground Up, a focus on eating foods that are close to their source, without being highly processed. That means adding more whole grains and vegetables to your diet.
Each year to help folks along the path to better health, the Poughkeepsie Journal partners with our local group of nutritionists from the Mid-Hudson Dietetic Association to field calls and live chats from the public during a two-hour call-in, which was last night (March 18).

We like to have something for our dietitians to munch on while they provide this free public service. It's easy to find healthful snacks that are ready to serve in the supermarket — all you have to do is take a stroll down the perimeters of the store, where fresh produce and the refrigerated sections entice with fruits, vegetables, hummus, cheese and crackers.
Eat a rainbow of foods: blueberries, strawberries, orange carrots, bright red peppers, deep green broccoli and snap peas. We had all of that and more.




I was inspired the other day by Claudia's lovely stuffed grape tomatoes on skewers (Caprese Roses she calls them) over at Journey of an Italian Cook. She is always conjuring up beautiful meals with inspired prose. Check out her blog if you don't already and you'll find this creative woman is a poet in the kitchen, on stage and on the page.

I made some of these cunning little treats that look like lollipops, using goat cheese instead of mozzarella. A Southwestern Quinoa Salad paired well with them, adding a satisfying burst of protein and a nutty flavor. Organic romaine lettuce leaves served as little vessels for the salad, making it easy to scoop one up.

Good nutrition is not complicated; it's about getting back to the basics, eating less processed foods, reading labels and taking small steps that will lead you to feeling better about your health and diet. Hey, that's a good thing, after all.



Here's a quick recipe for an easy Southwestern Quinoa Salad and a simple method for those savory Stuffed Grape Tomato-Bud Roses. Following these are a few photos from the call-in night. You can read more about it by clicking here.

Here's to good heath.

Stuffed Grape Tomato-Bud Roses

1. Grape tomatoes
2. Herbed goat cheese
3. Fresh basil
4. Olive oil
5. Balsamic vinegar

• Core out the centers of the grape tomatoes.
• Fill them with crumbled goat cheese.
• Roll them in a chiffonade of fresh basil leaves.
• Drizzle a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar on them.
• Impale each one on a bamboo skewer.
• Serve in a pretty glass.
  

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

1. 1 cup organic quinoa (I used the red variety)
2. 1 cup prepared salsa
3. 1 shallot
4. 4 scallions, sliced finely
5. 1 large carrot, cut into small dice
6. 1 cup corn kernels (frozen and thawed works fine)
7. Apple cider vinegar
8. Olive oil
9. Tamari
10. Salt and pepper, to taste

• Rinse the quinoa and place it in a saucepan with the salsa and 1 cup of water. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
• Fluff with a fork and turn it out on a baking sheet to cool.
• While the quinoa is cooling, sauted the diced shallot in about a tablespoon of olive oil.
• Wait until it browns a bit and then add the corn kernels and stir. Let the corn season a bit; remove the pan from the heat.
• When the quinoa is cooled, put it in a large bowl and add the shallot-corn saute, the carrot and scallions. Give it a good stir.
• Season with a splash of apple cider vinegar and Tamari. Taste it before adding salt and pepper.
• Serve cold as a salad or scoop some into lettuce leaves as wraps.

Now here's a peek at our call-in night and the wonderful dietitians who helped out: Chandra Balusu, Lisa Lawkins, Chris Esola, Lorraine Campilii and Lea Tompkins. Thanks also to the Journal's Digital Editor, Irwin Goldberg, for setting up the live chat, and to Theresa Marquez, culinary wizard who helped with the food spread.

That's Chris, left, and Irwin sharing a laugh during a pause in the action.

Lea, from left, Lorraine and Chandra man the phones. People like to chat about ways to improve their diets and health.

There was a healthful array of snacks for our panel to much on.