Kapiolani Community College's Culinary Arts Department is offering a cooking class in partnership with the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii: “;Good Food for Good Kidney Health.”;

The class will offer tips on cooking tasty, healthy meals using Hawaii's regional ingredients, a presentation by health professionals on how to prevent kidney diseases, and a cooking demonstration with tasting.

This class is based on the “;D.A.S.H.”; (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan, developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The plan outlines practical ways to maintain eating habits that lower the risk of hypertension, a primary risk factor for kidney disease. It also offers special ideas for people in the later stages of chronic kidney disease.

This class will make it easier, and a lot more fun, for you to eat good food and stay healthy. Participants will be given recipes and health and nutrition management tips from an award-winning book, “;A DASH of Aloha—Healthy Hawaii Cuisine and Lifestyle.”;

Here's a very tasty and simple-to-prepare sample recipe from the DASH program. Eat well and live well!

Poached Fish with Curly Cress

1 pound mild-flavored fish fillet (such as onaga), cut into 4 pieces
3 tablespoons Basic Asian Vinaigrette (recipe below)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cups (about 2-1/2 ounces) curly cress or other salad greens, loosely measured

Place fish into a saute pan; cover with water or poaching liquid. Poach at medium-low heat; drain.

Combine vinaigrette and oil; toss with greens.

To serve, place fish on plates, top with greens and serve immediately with brown rice. Serves 4.

Basic Asian Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon minced shallots
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl.

For more local-style recipes from the Hawaiian Electric Co. collection, visit www.heco.com.