everything Ro

Featured Nutrition Tip

A healthy diet and lifestyle are the best weapons you have to fight cardiovascular disease. Add more vegetables and fruits to your diet to meet the minimum recommendation of five to nine daily servings. Here are my easy suggestions for accomplishing this:

● Keep raw and prepared vegetables in the refrigerator for snacks
● Add vegetables to soups, stews, casseroles, pizza’s, and sandwiches
● Substitute spinach or another dark green leafy vegetable such as watercress or arugula for iceberg lettuce in salads
● Eat baked sweet potatoes instead of baked white potatoes
● Eat fruit as a snack
● Drink 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice instead of cocktails or soda
● Grate a carrot or pepper and add it to spaghetti sauce and beans

Featured Recipes

Dr. Ro’s N’Awlins Butter Beans with Chicken Andouille Sausage

1 16-ounce can large butter beans
1 10-ounce can whole tomatoes
4 carrots, shredded
1 small onion, peeled and cubed
½ cup chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 chicken andouille sausage links, sliced on an angle

Directions: In a medium stockpot, bring the beans, tomatoes, carrots, onions, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper, and sausage to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the beans are tender and the sausage has shrunk to small disks. Serve hot with Dr. Ro´s Corny Bread. Serves 4 to 6.

Nutritional Analysis: Calories: 175; Protein: 12 grams; Carbohydrate: 27.9 grams; Fat: 5.3 grams; Saturated Fat: 0.9 grams; Vitamin A: 17,390 IU; Vitamin C: 17 milligrams; Dietary Fiber: 7.5 grams.

Dr. Ro's Corny Bread

½ cup canola oil
1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
½ instant powdered nonfat milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar (optional)
½ cup whole kernel corn
3 large egg whites
1 ½ cups skim milk

Directions: Preheat oven to 400°F. Pour 1 tablespoon oil into an 8x8-inch square baking dish and grease the pan. Set aside. In a bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, powdered milk, salt, baking powder, and sugar, if using. Fold in the corn and set aside. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with a wire whisk until slightly frothy. Add the milk and remaining oil, and whisk again. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix. The remaining lumps are supposed to be there. Place the baking dish in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes to heat the oil. Don’t burn it! Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Corny Bread is done when a knife goes into its center and comes out clean. Remove from the oven immediately when done and turn the bread over on a cutting board. Cut into 12 squares and serve corn bread like your mama made, with a twist. SAVOR THE FLAVOR! Serves 12.

Nutritional Analysis: Calories: 185; Fat: 5.1 grams; Cholesterol: 1 milligram; Sodium: 236 milligrams.

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