A New Rainbow of Color

There’s a world of healthy cancer-preventive foods out there. Use these international favorites as an introduction to new spices, fruits, vegetables and more. It’s a great way to jazz up your plant-based diet that can help you get to – and stay at– a healthy weight.

We also have ideas on how you can recreate or adapt the international favorites at home.

 

 

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Smørrebrød – Denmark

Smørrebrød is a traditional open-faced sandwich. It’s often made with dark whole-grain rye bread and topped with nutrient-rich beets (or other veggies), herring and a poached egg.

Try it: Use a high-fiber rye bread, which plays a role in reducing cancer risk. Top with a few oven roasted root veggies and herring – rich in omega-3 fatty acids and an excellent source of vitamin D.

 

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Cortado – Spain, Portugal, Latin America

From the Spanish word cotar, meaning cut, a cortado is espresso cut with milk. It’s a small (3-4 ounce) drink usually made of a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio of milk added to espresso. The caramel sweetness of the espresso paired with the steamed milk means you may not even need to add sugar.

Try it: Coffee is one of AICR’s Foods that Fight Cancer. If you don’t have an espresso machine, there’s a good chance your local coffee shop will make it for you

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Paella – Spain

This savory one-pan rice dish is as varied as the chefs that make them. Paella (pronounced pah-ey-yuh) essentials are rice flavored with saffron and garlic, mixed with veggies and protein and cooked in a shallow pan. Traditional paella uses chicken or rabbit, white beans, and snails. Other variations include shrimp, mussels, and clams.

Try it: Vegetarian Paella features brown rice and is packed with vegetables.

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Mercimek Köftesi – Red Lentil Kofte (Turkey)

Köfte refers to ground meat (lamb or beef) or vegetable balls seasoned with plenty of herbs and spices. The vegetarian version is made with red lentils and fine bulgur, sprinkled with parsley and green onions.

Red lentil legumes provide protein and bulgur is a whole grain packed with fiber, which is linked to decreased risk of colorectal cancer.

Try it: Try high-school winner’s Mediterranean Faux-Lafel as is, or add some cooked lentils and your favorite spices.

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Pho – Vietnam

Go to any home or market in Vietnam and you’ll likely find some variation of this noodle dish. Pho consists of a flavorful clear broth, small

amounts of thinly cut meat such as beef or chicken, and the namesake linguini-shaped rice noodles – garnished with herbs, green onions, and bean sprouts piled high on top.

Try it: Use our primer on creating delicious soups to customize your own light and satisfying Pho dish with different add-ins.

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Cherimoya – Central and South America

You can now find this sweet and creamy fruit at many US markets. Tasting like a cross between a banana and pineapple, cherimoya is known as the ice cream fruit. A cheriyoma will give you plenty of fiber, vitamins C, vitamin B6, and riboflavin and potassium.

Try it: Eat it fresh, add to fruit salads or chill it and eat it with a spoon. You can remove the seeds, freeze for 4 to 5 hours then blend to make a creamy cherimoya sorbet.

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Mojo Sauce– Cuba

Mojo refers to any sauce made from garlic, olive oil, spices and citrus such as orange juice. It adds flavor to everything to seafood, pork and of course, Cuban sandwiches.

Try it: Create your own mojo marinade with an assortment of herbs and spices–cilantro, oregano, cumin and garlic. In AICR’s Mojo marinated grilled turkey, the citrus tenderizes the turkey and keeps it moist throughout grilling.

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Resources
Find more nutrition information, tips, cancer-related research, and recipes in our Foods That Fight Cancer

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook and share your ideas.

 

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Posted on March 13, 2015 by Tauryn

Nose-to-tail cookery: it’s the new trend of many well-known chefs that uses all parts of the animal – from the nose to the tail, and yes the parts in between – to create delicious dishes. While this idea may not have mass appeal, it’s a great concept to consider when it comes to your fruits and vegetables.celery

Have you ever eaten a leaf from a celery stalk or sweet potato plant? Have you thought about the cancer-protective nutrients that could be hidden in those scrawny looking leaves?

Consider this: the most commonly discarded parts of vegetables are often packed with nutrients. Take broccoli for example, the stems are packed with vitamin C—a cancer-protective nutrient. Don’t Toss Those Cancer-Fighting Veggie Parts offers more examples of the parts of vegetables you could be missing out on.

Interested in what chefs do?
– Chefs often throw parts of fruits, vegetables, or meats that are not going to be used on the day’s menu into Family Meal. Family Meal is the dinner that is prepared for staff. This meal usually involves a bit of creativity in using the various leftovers, but often yields something great!
– Stems from herbs can be cut up and used in salads, but in restaurants, they may also be added to fresh salsas.
– You’ll also find chefs saving vegetable scraps and peels to simmer in water for stock. Many recipes – from soups to rice – call for a liquid in some form. Making your own vegetable stock allows you control over what goes in it and helps in adding another layer of flavor to your dish.

Creative ideas for the home cook:
– Don’t throw away your celery leaves! Though more bitter than the celery rib, the leaves too, make a great addition to stir-frys, and it adds a pop of green!
– Broccoli stems are great to reserve too. They can become a light and refreshing salad by simply shaving them with a peeler to create “ribbons” and tossing them with lemon juice, olive oil, Parmesan, salt and pepper.

Now that you have some know-how, grab your fruits and vegetables and give all parts of them a try. Braised Broccoli Leaves is an easy introduction to using the less common parts of your vegetables on your new found vegetable journey. Enjoy digging in! Do, however, be aware that there are some parts of some fruits and vegetables – such as white potato plant leaves – that are poisonous to us.

You can look here for more information on edible plant parts, but if you’re in doubt, throw it out.

Visit AICR’s Foods that Fight Cancer that includes some great fruits and vegetables whose roots and stems are edible and quite nutritious.

What are your creative ways to incorporate underused parts of veggies?