SAVE THE DATE! On Sat. March 10th, we are hosting another class in our home, this time we will be doing wine tasting paired with savory small plates (Tapas). We will focus on Washington wines, and you will learn how to select, taste and appreciate our wonderful Northwest wines (some from little-known but fabulous local wineries), how to pair wine (whites and reds) with food, and receive a cooking demonstration and sampling of several small plates that will be paired with each wine. More details to follow in subsequent newsletters, email me to reserve a spot, which are limited.

Holiday Appetizers, Monday, December 4th, 7-9PM, Spartan Gym Kitchen, Shoreline.
This class was cancelled on Nov. 27th due to the snow and has been rescheduled. If you need ideas for easy, delicious appetizers, check out this class.
Registration: 206-418-3383

Gluten-Free Cookie Dough, Thursday, Dec. 7th, Discover U, Northgate. Are you dreading the holiday season because you are gluten-intolerant and can't eat cookies? Or maybe you find yourself cheating every holiday season and spend half your days between Thanksgiving and New Year's feeling sick and miserable for it? No problem, in "Gluten-Free Cookie Dough" make batches of several kinds of cookie dough to take home and freeze for later, including almond crispies, cherry chocolate chip, biscotti, pumpkin cookies and ginger snaps. Another bonus - these cookies contain no trans fats or refined sweeteners. Bring plastic bags or containers to transport your cookie dough home in.
Registration: http://www.DiscoverU.org or 206-365-0400

Comfort Food Makeover, Sat. Jan. 27th, Boys and Girls Club Community Room, Arlington.
Winter calls for hearty comfort food that gets you through those cold evenings but will also nourish and support your health and immunity. In this class you’ll sample lighter, healthier versions of classic comfort foods you can feel good about enjoying any time of the year such as Updated Mac and Cheese, Meatloaf Florentine, Sweet and Spicy Chili, and Tortilla Pie Casserole.
Registration: 360-403-3448

15 Minute Meals, Sunday Jan. 28th, 4:30-7:30 PM. U. Village
Learn how to make healthy and delicious meals in under 15 minutes.
Registration: http://www.DiscoverU.org or 206-365-0400

Gluten-Free Transition, Tuesday, Jan. 30th, 6:30-9:30PM, Discover U, Northgate
Have you been told to give up wheat and/or gluten for your health? Wondering how on earth you can do it? This class shows you how to transition to a gluten- free lifestyle. Topics covered include: *Converting your kitchen to gluten-free *Choices when eating at restaurants *Being a gluten-free dinner guest *Making your own breads, pizza, desserts and treats and *How to shop for a gluten-free lifestyle. Materials fee cover hand-outs and gluten-free treats.
Registration: http://www.DiscoverU.org or 206-365-0400

Surviving the Holidays

1. BE A GENEROUS HOST: If you're entertaining and have lots of leftover goodies, send friends home with doggie bags so you won't be so tempted to finish up all the remains. Or freeze leftovers for meals you'll enjoy in January.

2. DON'T ARRIVE HUNGRY: Take the edge off your hunger before a party. Feeling hungry can sabotage even the strongest willpower, so eat a small snack such as yogurt, low-fat cheese with a cracker or some fruit before you head out the door. This will help you from eating everything in sight as soon as you arrive at the party.

3. EAT SMALLER PORTIONS AND EAT SLOWLY: At a buffet dinner, choose the foods you really want and eat in half portions. Always start with less than what you think you'll eat and you'll be surprised at how little it really takes to satisfy you. Put your food on appetizer-sized plates instead of regular dinner plates and you'll fill your plate with less food. Put your fork down between bites and chew well.

4. BE THE DESIGNATED DRIVER: Alcohol can increase your appetite and also reduce your resolve. It also has lots of calories. A 5-oz. glass of white wine is 100 calories, a 12-oz. beer is 150 and 1.5 oz. scotch is 100 calories. Be careful of the mixers that add even more calories. Juice and pop contain about 100 calories per cup compared to soda water or diet pop with virtually no calories. A glass of eggnog has about 175 calories but the lighter versions are considerably less.

5. MOVE AWAY FROM THE TREATS: At a cocktail party, don't stand near the table with the richest foods. When you want a treat, go over, take one or two goodies and move away for your conversations. Remember that conversation is calorie free!!

6. KEEP STRESS AT A MINIMUM: Lower your expectations about holidays. Ask for help to lighten your holiday schedule. Host a potluck holiday meal instead of cooking dinner. Or serve it buffet style instead of having a sit-down meal.

7. CHOOSE LOWER CALORIE PARTY FOODS: Raw vegetables with a light dip, seafood with cocktail sauce or lemon, sushi, skewers of chicken or wraps can all be good choices. Go easy on things like mini quiches, crab puffs, the fried chicken wings or fried egg roll. One skewer of chicken has less than 100 calories compared to three chicken wings at over 200 calories. One tbsp. of salsa dip has less than 15 calories compared to a sour cream dip at close to 100 calories.

8. TAKE A BRISK WALK AFTER A HOLIDAY PARTY OR MEAL: Five minutes of exercise is better than 20 minutes of nothing,

9. DON'T TRY TO BE "PERFECT" during the holidays. That will only sabotage your efforts to look after yourself. Tis the season to be realistic; this is not the best time for weight loss. It’s better trying to maintain weight instead of lose it.

10. THE SECRET TO HOLIDAY SUCCESS is moderation, balance and especially enjoyment.

Cooked Carrots Contain More Antioxidants

Raw foodists tend to make extravagant claims for the health benefits of uncooked vegetables, and it’s tempting to believe them. After all, we have all been warned of the dangers of overeating “processed” foods, and cooking is indeed a form of processing.

But research at University of Arkansas, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, confirms that cooked, pureed carrots contain more available antioxidants than the raw kind. Scientists found that antioxidant levels in carrots increased by 34.3 percent immediately after heat processing. Perhaps more surprising, those levels continued to climb for the first week that the cooked carrots were stored.

So don’t hesitate to cook your carrots, and eat the leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. Incidentally, this does not apply only to carrots; lycopene, an antioxidant important for prostate health, is only highly available in cooked tomatoes, not raw ones.

Source: Drweil.com

Pomegranates

Pomegranates grow wild from Iran to northern India, but they are cultivated throughout India, the Middle East, southern Europe and California. Scientists in Israel have been conducting research on the health benefits of pomegranates and pomegranate juice for years, and now others have joined in.

Researchers report that pomegranates are rich in antioxidants that can keep bad LDL cholesterol from oxidizing (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, May 2000). Oxidized LDL seems to be an initial step in the development of atherosclerosis. In addition, pomegranate juice, like aspirin, can help keep blood platelets from clumping together to form unwanted clots.

More recent research has found that eight ounces of pomegranate juice daily for three months improved the amount of oxygen getting to the heart muscle of patients with coronary heart disease (American Journal of the College of Cardiology, Sept. 2005). Other researchers report that long-term consumption of pomegranate juice may help combat erectile dysfunction (Journal of Urology, July 2005).

Investigators are also excited about the possibility that pomegranate compounds might prevent prostate cancer or slow its growth. In mice, treatment with pomegranate extract delayed the development of tumors and improved survival (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Sept. 26, 2005). Other research reports suggest that pomegranate juice might help reduce the risk of breast cancer.

How do you get the seeds out of a pomegranate?

1. Slice the top and bottom off a pomegranate and score the skin from top to bottom around the pomegranate every few inches, just as you would do to an orange to make it easy to peel.

2. Dunk the scored pomegranate in a large basin of water and use your fingers to separate the arils (seeds) from the red skin and white membrane that surround the arils. Throw the hard bits of red skin away. Loose portions of white membrane will float to the surface, while the arils will sink to the bottom of the basin.

3. Use your hands or a small strainer to scoop the white membrane bits off the surface of the water and discard them.

4. Strain remaining water and arils. Voila! You are left with a whole pomegranate's worth of tasty and nutritious arils.

Source: drbenkim.com

I made this recipe for Thanksgiving dinner, and not only was it delicious, it was a nice and light prelude to the heavier, starchy foods that are so prevalent at Thanksgiving. It would make a wonderfully colorful Christmas dinner salad as well. (See above discussion to learn how to remove the seeds from a pomegranate.) Or buy them seeded from Trader Joe's, which you can occasionally find this time of year.

Pomegranate Salad

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey or maple syrup
2 medium bunches arugula or spinach, rinsed well and thick stems removed (or packaged pre-washed)
2 firm but ripe pears, halved, cored and each cut into 6 wedges
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 medium pomegranate)
18 rinsed and dried leaves of Boston, Bibb, or green-leaf lettuce (optional)

Whisk together lime juice, oil. mustard and honey in a small bowl.

Place arugula and pears in a salad bowl. Toss with just enough dressing to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with feta. pecans, and pomegranate seeds, and serve.

For a festive presentation, line salad plates with lettuce leaves and mound a serving of the salad in the center of each.

Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 92 calories, 5 g. total fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 14 g. carbohydrate, less than 1 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 9 mg. sodium.