THE ELECTRIC KITCHEN
Vegetable favorites are diet-friendly
THE ELECTRIC KITCHEN
Hawaiian Electric Co.
DID YOU make a resolution to eat healthier this year? That doesn't have to mean tasteless or unfamiliar foods. Many old-time local favorites are actually good for you.
For example, there's umani, a Japanese vegetable dish very similar to nishime, and pinacbet, a Filipino standard also known as "wrinkled vegetable dish." Both provide healthy servings of vegetables and are very satisfying. Ratatouille, a French vegetable casserole, is so hearty and savory, it can easily be served as a main course with rice or couscous. A bonus is the leftovers taste great the next day!
Umani
1 8-inch piece nishime konbu (Japanese dried seaweed)
1 medium section lotus root
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 8-1/2 ounce can bamboo shoots, drained
1 8-1/2 ounce can matsutake mushrooms, drained,
--OR--
7 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in water
1 small carrot
1 20-ounce block firm tofu, drained
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2-1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons sake
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
Soak konbu 15 minutes; wash thoroughly. Starting at narrow end, roll tightly; cut in sections about 1-1/2 inches wide. Unroll, tie knots 1-1/2 inches apart; cut between knots.
Peel renkon; cut into bite-size pieces; boil until tender in the 1 cup water and vinegar; drain.
Cut bamboo shoots, matsutake and carrots into bite-size pieces.
Cut tofu in 4 slices; broil until brown on each side; cube.
Simmer chicken in 2-1/2 cups water for 1/2 hour; strain. Cube chicken. Combine all ingredients; simmer 20 minutes. Serves 6.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 380 calories, 11 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 90 mg cholesterol, greater than 1,800 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 54 g protein.
Pinacbet
1-1/2 pound belly pork or boneless, skinless chicken
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1-1/2-inch piece ginger, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
3 tomatoes, quartered
3 medium sequa
6 long eggplants
2 large bittermelons
1/2 pound long beans
1/2 pound winged beans
Cut pork into 2-by-1/2-inch pieces. In a large sauce pot, fry pork until crisp; drain fat. Add garlic, ginger and patis; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and cook until a sauce forms.
Remove ridges from sequa. Cut sequa, eggplant and bittermelon into lengthwise halves. Remove seeds from bittermelons. Cut vegetables into 2-inch pieces; add to pork mixture. Cover and cook over medium heat 10 minutes.
Toss vegetables in pot. Lower heat and cook, uncovered, 10 more minutes. Serves 6.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 440 calories, 31 g total fat, 11 g saturated fat, 80 mg cholesterol, 700 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 17 g protein.
Ratatouille
2 onions, sliced
4 tomatoes, in wedges
2 green peppers, in 1-inch pieces
1 round eggplant, in 1-inch pieces
6 zucchini, in 1/2-inch slices
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup minced parsley
1 teaspoon basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bottom of a 4-quart casserole, place a layer of each vegetable; sprinkle with some of the salt, pepper and parsley.
Repeat layers until all vegetables are used.
Mix basil, garlic and oil; drizzle over top layer. Cover and bake 1 hour; basting top occasionally with liquid in casserole.
Uncover and bake 20 to 30 more minutes to reduce liquid. Serve hot or cold. Serves 8 to 10.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving 160 calories, 8 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, no cholesterol, 600 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 11 g sugar, 5 g protein.
Hawaiian Electric Co. presents this weekly collection of recipes as a public service. Many are drawn from HECO's database of recipes, accessible online at
www.heco.com.
