By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin

First prize: Carmen, by a Navy team
headed by Joseph Alcantara, has an apple head,
melon torso and carved watermelon skirt. Her arms
are bananas and her bra is made of two lemon ends.
Decorating the skirt are flowers carved out of carrots.
Her pineapple-top hat is garnished with cantaloupe balls.
The bird at her feet is a carved daikon with the chile pepper beak.

Funny things happen
when creative people play
with their food

By Michelle Ramos
Star-Bulletin

FOR two hours on Monday afternoon, five teams diced, hacked and stacked an array of fruits and vegetables, turning these mild-mannered foods into Carmen, the Chiquita banana mascot, a Hawaiian warrior and other delicate, edible pieces.

The event kicked off the 1998 National 5-A-Day Salad Head Competition. The nationwide nutrition campaign urges people to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

Navy Chief Warrant Officer Ambrosio Deguzman, a member of the 5-A-Day Coalition, suggested making "salad heads" as a fun way to get the public and private school students interested in the project. Students in grades K through five have a chance to win their school $2,000, plus learn the importance fruits and vegetables play in a balanced diet.

The "salads" were meant to be art, not eaten, so the five teams worked to blend color, not flavors. They used radish, bean and soy sprouts, daikon, marunggay fruit, wonbok, luau leaves, choy sum, jabong, jackfruit, sweet potato and even edible flowers. Ordinary pineapples and watermelon were also artistic favorites.

By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin

Second prize: The Hawaiian warrior, by chef
Kelvin Ro's team, has a peeled pineapple head, chile
pepper mouth, jackfruit nose and eyes made of Filipino
limes. His cloak is made of Swiss chard and chile
pepper slices and his sword is a marunggay fruit.

By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin

Third prize: A peacock, made by Willie
Baquiran, Willie Estella and Kamoa Quitevas from
NCTAMS PAC in Wahiawa, is a watermelon-based
bird with grape, kiwi, pineapple and nectarine feathers.

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Many ways to get
your 5-A-Day dose

Meeting your 5-A-Day requirement doesn't have to mean salads and carrot juice. Consider dressings, dips and soups as ways to boost your fruit and veggie intake.

Here are some suggestions from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health. They have the added benefit that they can be prepared without turning on the stove, a nice idea for a hot day.

By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin

A hula girl has hair of sprouts on a purple sweet
potato background. Her hair was supposed to be made
of limu, but a team member forgot to bring it. She
dances next to a coconut tree with a trunk of pineapple,
leaves of zucchini and grape "coconuts."

Deep-Days-of-Summer Gazpacho

4 cups low-sodium tomato juice
1 small, minced onion
2 cups freshly diced tomatoes
1 cup minced green pepper
1 teaspoon honey
1 clove crushed garlic
1 diced cucumber
2 scallions, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon and 1 lime
2-1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Dash of cumin
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
Dash of hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill for at least two hours. This soup can also be blended, if desired. Each serving provides 2-1/2 5-A-Day servings. Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 85 calories, 3 g fiber, 3 total g fat, no cholesterol, 29 mg sodium.*

Cool-as-a-cucumber soup

1/4 medium-sized yellow onion
1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
1 cup non-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced
1 cup cooked frozen peas
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste

Blend the onion, yogurt, sour cream, vinegar and lemon juice in a blender until smooth. Gradually add the cucumber pieces and 1/4 cup peas in small batches, turning off the blender before adding and blending until smooth before adding more. Blend until completely smooth, and refrigerate the soup until it's chilled.

Divide the soup between four shallow bowls. Divide the remaining peas and the cherry tomatoes among each bowl, arranging them on top of the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Provides each person with about two servings of vegetables. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 138 calories, 5 g fiber, 1 total g fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 131 mg sodium.*

Garbanzo dip

1 12.5-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed well
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
3 drops hot pepper sauce
1 carrot, grated
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
2 roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1/4 red onion, diced

Blend beans, yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil and hot sauce in a blender until smooth. Transfer dip to a shallow serving bowl, and pile vegetables on top.

Serve with pita bread or toasted wheat-bread triangles. This provides each person with 1-1/2 servings of vegetables. Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 157 calories, 5 g fiber, 4 total g fat, no cholesterol, 42 mg sodium.*

Vegetables with
sesame-ginger dressing

2 cups green beans (fresh or frozen), cut into 2-inch pieces
2 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup water
Sesame-Ginger Dressing:
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated (optional)

Whisk dressing ingredients together. Set aside.

Microwave fresh green beans with water in covered bowl on high for 2-1/2 to 3 minutes. Remove cover carefully, allowing steam to escape away from you; stir green beans and add fresh broccoli florets. Cover and microwave together on high for 2 minutes. (If using frozen green beans and/or broccoli, follow microwave directions on packaging.)

Drain green beans and broccoli; mix in dressing while still warm. Let vegetables chill in refrigerator until ready to serve (at least 5 to 10 minutes).

Provides two servings of vegetables per person. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 42 calories, 3 g fiber, 1 total g fat, no cholesterol, 317 mg sodium.*

By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin

Joseph Alcantara attaches a watermelon rind to the
apple that will become the head of his "Carmen" creation.
The apple will be carved so that the skin becomes
Carmen's hair. A melon is her body and another
watermelon is her skirt.

For more information Call the National Cancer Institute at (800) 4-CANCER for these free pamphlets: Facts about fruits and vegetables: Includes the amount of fruits and vegetables in one serving (ask for numbers 96-3201 and 96-3862) Action Guide for Healthy Eating: Tips on fat and fiber (No. 95-3877) Down Home Healthy Cookin': 15 recipes with healthy tips (No. 96-3408SV) Celebrate La Cocina Hispana: Healthy recipes from Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile, in English and Spanish. (No. 96-3906s)

Make your own salad head

The 1998 National 5-A-Day Salad Head Competition for schools offers a $2,000 top prize. Here are the rules:

Teams: Must have at least five students. Schools can have more than one team.

Materials: Must use at least 15 different fruits and vegetables and one or more commercially prepared salad dressings and/or sauces. Tropics dressings will supply free dressings. Call the Department of Health Nutrition Branch at 586-4671.

What to make: A man, woman, child or beast -- real or imagined. Can be cartoon characters, historical figures or celebrities.

To enter: Mail a photograph of each creation to National 5 A Day Salad Head Competition, care of Association for Dressings and Sauces, 5775 Peachtree-Dunwoody Road, Suite 500-G, Atlanta, Ga. 30342.

Deadline: Must be postmarked by Nov. 1.

Prizes: Grand prize is $2,000, for the school that submits the winning entry. There will also be 4 first-place regional awards of $400 and 4 honorable mentions of $100 in each category (kindergarten-second grade, third-fifth grade, special education).

Note to teachers: Entries must be accompanied by information on what students learned about fruits, vegetables and salad dressings through the project. For a complete list of what must be included call 586-4671. For a complimentary lesson plan, write to Salad Head Lesson Plan, care of Association for Dressings and Sauces, 5775-G Peachtree-Dunwoody Road, Atlanta, Ga. 30342.

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Chef’s dishes come
from the garden

For John Ash, the 5-A-Day concept is a natural.

As the author of "From the Earth to the Table: John Ash's Wine Country Cuisine," Ash advocates the use of fresh fruits and vegetables in intriguing dishes.

Ash, who is also the culinary director for Fetzer Vineyards, will demonstrate his fresh cooking techniques at Foodland stores this weekend:

Foodland Beretania: 2 p.m. Saturday
Foodland Hawaii Kai: 10 a.m. Sunday
Foodland Market City: 3 p.m. Sunday

He'll also appear on Richard Field's "In Good Taste" radio show at 1 p.m. Saturday on KHVH 830 AM.

"From the Earth to the Table" won the prestigious Julia Child Award as Best American Cookbook and the International Association of Culinary Professionals' Cookbook of the Year award in 1996.

Ash is a food and wine educator who teaches at The Culinary Institute of America.

He suggests a Gewurztraminer to go with his spicy melon salad below.

Fire and ice melon salad

1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup white wine or water
2 teaspoons seeded and minced serrano chiles
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
2 teaspoons each minced red, green and yellow bell peppers
2 large honeydew, cantaloupe, crane or other ripe melons
Optional garnish: fresh figs and edible flower petals

Combine sugar and water in small saucepan and boil until sugar is dissolved. Cool and add chile, lime juice, mint and peppers.

(The syrup can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.)

Cut melons in half and remove seeds. Cut melon into decorative shapes and arrange on chilled plates. Spoon chile syrup over fruit and garnish.

Serves 12.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving, with honeydew: 110 calories, 0.5 g fat, no saturated fat, no cholesterol, 20 mg sodium.*