Cook Great Food: 450 Delicious Recipes [Paperback]

Creating healthy and delicious home-cooked meals is always a challenge. How do you make sure that the lunch or dinner you have prepared not only tastes wonderful but is nutritionally sound and part of a well-balanced diet?

Cook Great Food satisfies these requirements and more. With 450 delicious recipes and an abundance of nutrition-related information written by practicing dietitians, Cook Great Food will provide you with an education in food preparation and healthy eating, while satisfying your desire to create appetizing meals for every occasion. Cook Great Food is jam-packed with tasty ideas for breakfast, snacks, lunches and delicious dinners. There are even recipes for entertaining the most discerning guests -- including mouthwatering desserts.

Cook Great Food features:

• 450 delicious recipes
• 32 pages of color photography
• Nutritional analysis for every recipe
• Recipes accompanied by tips and messages from dietitians
• Kids and food
• Guidelines for a well-stocked pantry
• Great family meals
• Suitable for entertaining
• Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating

Here are some of the tempting recipes:

• Lunch Box Chili
• Banana Berry Wake-Up Shake
• Curried Chicken Salad Wraps
• Creole Tomato Soup
• Cedar-Baked Salmon
• Meat Loaf "Muffins" with Barbecue Sauce
• Grilled Vegetable Lasagna
• Light Tiramisu
• White Chocolate Raspberry Pie

Dietitians of Canada / Les diététistes du Canada
Dietitians of Canada (DC) is the nationwide voice of dietitians -- the most trusted source of information on food and nutrition for Canadians. With 5,000 members, who meet academic and experience standards, DC is the only national organization of dietitians in Canada and is one of the largest professional dietetic organizations worldwide.
Visit their website: www.dietitians.ca

Tuna and Rice Casserole

Serves 4
Marilyn Townshend

Here's a delicious change from the usual tuna noodle casserole -- and it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare! It's easy enough for older children and teens to make on their own; younger children can help by shredding the cheese and getting the salad ready.

TIP
Replace the cream of mushroom soup with a reduced-fat variety. For a change, try cream of wild mushroom soup.

DIETITIAN'S MESSAGE
Buying tuna packed in water rather than oil is one way of minimizing fat intake. Accompanying this casserole with a green salad and finish with fresh fruit and yogurt for an easy and delicious meal that the whole family will enjoy.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)
8-inch (2 L) square baking dish, greased

1 can (10 oz/284 mL) condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 1/4 cups (300 mL) instant rice

1 cup (250 mL) milk

1/2 cup (125 mL) water

1 can (6 oz/170 g) water-packed tuna, drained

1 cup (250 mL) frozen peas

1/4 cup (50 mL) finely chopped onion

1 tsp (5 mL) lemon juice

black pepper to taste

1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded Cheddar cheese

paprika to taste

1. In a large bowl, stir together soup, rice milk, water, tuna, peas, onion, lemon juice and pepper. Pour into a greased 8-inch (2 L) square baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and paprika. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbling and rice is tender.

Per Serving:
Calories: 330
Dietary Fiber: 2 g
Fat: 12 g
Carbohydrate: 35 g
Protein: 19 g

Cassoulet

Serves 6
Alain Mercier, Chef
Fabiola Masri, Dietitian

Cassoulet is a French country casserole that's made with beans and a variety of meats and poultry, then traditionally slow-cooked. This version, which uses maple syrup, has a Quebec flair. Although it's a lot of work, it is rich and delicious.

TIP
To soak beans, cover with plenty of cold water and leave for 8 hours or overnight. Quick-soak method: Cover beans with water and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour. With either method, drain beans, rinse and proceed as directed.

DIETITIAN'S MESSAGE
This filling and robustly flavored dish is perfect as the centerpiece of a winter buffet or after a day in the outdoors. It is packed with protein and fiber as well as many other nutrients. Since it has all the calories you need for a meal, choose light accompaniments such as Lemon Pesto Dip (see recipe, page 76) with vegetable crudités to start and fresh fruit or yogurt for dessert.

Preheat oven to 275°F (140°C)

2 1/2 cups (625 mL) white (navy) beans, soaked (see tip)

2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil

8 oz (250 g) boneless skinless chicken OR pheasant breast, cut into large pieces

8 oz (250 g) well-trimmed pork loin, cut into large pieces

4 oz (125 g) well-trimmed boneless lamb, cut into large pieces

4 oz (125 g) chicken livers

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (5 1/2 oz/156 mL) tomato paste

1/2 cup (125 mL) maple syrup

1/2 cup (125 mL) dry white wine

1 tbsp (15 mL) dry mustard

1 tsp (5 mL) each dried thyme and salt

1/2 tsp (2 mL) black pepper

1 bay leaf

1. Cover beans with fresh water; bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving cooking water.
    
   
2. In a large ovenproof saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat; brown chicken, pork, lamb and chicken livers all over. Remove and set aside. Place half of the beans, half of the onions and half of the garlic in the bottom of pan; layer meats on top. Add remaining beans, onion and garlic.
    
   
3. Mix together tomato paste, maple syrup, wine, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper; pour over beans. Cover beans with reserved cooking water; nestle bay leaf in beans.
    
   
4. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 2 hours; uncover, stir and increase temperature to 325°F(160°C). Cook, uncovered for about 2 hours or until thickened and beans are tender. Discard bay leaf.

Per Serving
Calories: 557
Dietary Fiber: 15 g
Fat: 12 g
Carbohydrate: 72 g
Protein: 42 g

Introduction

In Canada, healthy eating has been an ongoing journey of adventure and discovery for many years. Dietitians are health professionals who help Canadians to enjoy a healthy lifestyle based on nutrition. They play a major role in health care, industry, government and education, influencing the development and promotion of consumer products and managing quality food service operations. They also provide information and advice to help decision makers, including consumers, make informed judgements about food choices and nutrition services.

One of the most successful endeavors undertaken by Dietitians of Canada was the production of three cookbooks that feature healthy eating, by providing an abundance of tasty family-oriented recipes to suit every occasion. The first book of the series, Eat Well, Live Well, was published in 1990, and Healthy Pleasures, a unique collaboration between dietitians and chefs, followed in 1995. The current cycle was completed in 2000 with the publication of Great Food Fast, which focused on meeting the demands of today's time-starved families. Cook Great Food combines the best recipes from all three books in one convenient volume.

In Cook Great Food, you will find more than 450 mouthwatering recipes to suit every aspect of your lifestyle. More than a cornucopia of delicious recipes, Cook Great Food provides a wealth of information on nutrition. Each recipe is accompanied by a nutritional analysis outlining the calories, protein, fat, carbohydrate and dietary fiber in each serving. Useful tips, techniques and menu suggestions prepared by professional dietitians also appear alongside the recipes. On every page of Cook Great Food, a dietitian is with you, helping you to make informed choices about food to support a pattern of healthy living.

Everyone knows that good nutrition is a key component of good health. The problem is that people differ in their definitions of good nutrition. In Cook Great Food, you'll find some of the answers to the many questions about nutrition and health that dietitians are often asked. The introduction, written by practicing dietitians, provides an overview of current nutritional information, based on the latest research. Since the publication of Eat Well, Live Well, by Margaret Howard and Helen Bishop Macdonald, much new research into nutrition has been conducted, but the fundamental message remains the same: consult the advice provided by Canada's Guidelines for Healthy Eating and Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating. Also bear in mind these fundamentals: enjoyment, variety, balance and moderation. To learn more about healthy eating, visit the Web sites we've noted.

Cook Great Food is the perfect cookbook for the everyday cook, the once-in-a-while cook and anyone interested in great-tasting food and healthy eating. It will also serve as a, great reference for those interested in learning more about nutrition. Dietitians of Canada hopes that you enjoy this book and that the recipes will help you to "cook great food" every day of the week.

Susan Morgan, RD
Food and Nutrition Consultant