I have been trying to eat healthy in the past month, and I have to say that I think my efforts are paying off! First thing I did was to quit eating so much fried food – believe it or not, I used to eat fried something every single day. Another thing was to buy more chicken and fish and less beef and pork. Of course, looking for easy but good recipes was the next step.

In the course of my search, I ran across a recipe from Rocco DiSpirito. It combines three of my favorite ingredients – chicken, beans, and parmesan. It also makes use of spinach, but I am thinking that if I don’t feel like it, it can be removed from the recipe.

Buy
FRESH: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts; basil; baby spinach; Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
STAPLES: Crushed red pepper; low-sodium chicken broth; salt and pepper
PACKAGED: Pasta sauce; cannellini beans

Ingredients
3 14-ounce cans low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons tomato-and-basil pasta sauce
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin
Salt and pepper
6 ounces prewashed baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. In a Dutch oven, bring chicken broth, pasta sauce, cannellini beans, and crushed red pepper to a simmer. Turn heat to low.
2. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper; add to broth. Gently poach chicken, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes. (The broth should barely simmer.)
3. Stir in baby spinach. Continue cooking soup until spinach is wilted and chicken is just cooked through, about 2 minutes more.
4. Stir in basil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls, and top with grated cheese.

Nutrition facts per serving: 407 calories, 43g protein, 36g carbohydrate, 10g fat (3g saturated), 10g fiber.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe adapted from Rocco Gets Real by Rocco DiSpirito, Meredith Books, 2008.

Let’s go try it!

Recipe courtesy of Fitness Magazine

Prostate cancer is something that a lot of men fear, but don’t talk about. Just like many other “fears,” men really don’t talk about these things. But maybe it is about time that they did – prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancer in the United States today. While many men with the condition do not exhibit symptoms, in cases wherein the symptoms occur, it can get really bad. That is why it is important that information be disseminated effectively.

Some celebrity chefs agree with this – they have been recruited to collaborate on a project which involves writing a cookbook featuring recipes that may help combat or prevent prostate cancer. Some of the celebrity chefs involved are Raymond Blanc and Antony Worrall Thompson. Dubbed The Prostate Cancer Care cookbook, it features recipes making use of ingredients that have been scientifically proven to prevent prostate cancer. These include broccoli, garlic, and tomatoes (as well as derivative products such as tomato sauce).

Collaborating with the celebrity chefs is Professor Margaret Rayman, from the University of Surrey. She says that it is important to incorporate these food items into one’s regular diet in order to take pro-active measures against prostate cancer. She goes on to say that while eating these dishes is not a guarantee against prostate cancer, it is definitely better than doing nothing and waiting for the doctor to tell you that you have got the disease. The professor is also working on cookbooks focusing on other conditions such as breast and bowel cancer.

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has always been a favorite of critics. Who can blame them? The chef does not seem to have public relations on his priority list anyway. He has never masked his foul mouth – on air or off air. He slammed an Australian TV personality and likened her to a pig. Why should anyone wonder when reservations at his restaurants have spiraled downward? Why should anyone wonder when exposes have been done about his dishes being pre-prepared at a location separate from the restaurants?

We are only starting the second half of the year and the critics do not seem to be done with Chef Gordon Ramsay yet. The latest issue? His restaurants are overpriced and disappointing.

Several newspapers have already published these “findings,” as reported in the most recent edition of Harden’s London Restaurants. According to the magazine, even Ramsay’s main restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, has gone down the drain. This is quite surprising as, only last year, the restaurant was hailed as the best foodie experience in all of London!

In spite of all the bad reviews and publicity about his restaurants, however, Ramsay still has staunch supporters. There is Fox TV, which has renewed his contract for the TV series Hell’s Kitchen. It is running its 8th season. A special is also in the works, titled Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live. The chef also seems undaunted by the setbacks as he is opening restaurants in London and Italy.

Time will tell, along with the food and service that the chef continues to offer discerning gastronomists.