NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

November 5, 1998

Prairie Fare: Don't Succumb to the Holiday Squeeze

The holiday season is fast approaching, and you know what that means: among other traditions, the obligatory countdown of shopping days. But there's also precious little time remaining until we start piling on extra calories, and perhaps extra pounds, as we get caught up in our respective celebrations. So, now is the time to pay particular attention to what you eat. Now is the time to eat light and breeze through that preseason window of opportunity, so you don't have to squeeze into something else later on.

Maybe it'll be easier to stave off enticement if we imbibe for a moment in a healthy dose of anticipation. Think of your favorite holiday treats, those foods you eat only when the snow crunches under foot and there's that feel of wintry magic in the air. For me, most of my favorites are warm and cozy, like any bite-sized morsel adorned with a crown of bubbling-browned cheese, although I've never been one to pass up an assortment of chilled sour cream-based dips: blue cheese and bacon or bacon and horseradish are two tongue-titillating combinations that make me want to grab a handful of crackers, or crudités when I'm feeling fancy-schmancy, which isn't very often.

A helping of savory cocktail meatballs can melt the scrooge out of anyone's heart. Take your pick: Swedish, barbecued, or some wild combination, like chopped dried cranberries mixed in with ground ham and pork and topped with a mustard sauce.

Something that may seem exotic at other times during the year, like shrimp cocktail, might produce only a blasé response from some during the holidays. How about serving boiled shrimp on lahvosh (Armenian cracker bread), with melted havarti cheese, diced red bell pepper and chopped dill pickles? Or, marinate your shrimp in lime juice, oil and Jamaican jerk seasoning; then skewer the shrimp and broil it for a taste of the Caribbean.

Just remember that whatever your foods thoughts are, don't let your anticipation run away with your willpower. Try to stick to the everything-in-moderation credo, but if you absolutely have to have another piece of candy or an extra cookie or one more trip through the buffet line, rest assured that you're likely to feel a little less guilty if you've sacrificed a few calories in advance.

The recipe that follows is a tasty way to trim calories and retain flavor, as you're gazing into a not-too-distant future that is overflowing with temptation.

Lemon Chicken
(This recipe came from May/June 1995 issue of "Food and Nutrition Digest," a publication of the Kansas State University Extension Service.)
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried basil
4 skinless chicken breast halves

Procedure:
Mix together lemon juice, oil, onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt and basil. Place chicken pieces in shallow baking pan and pour lemon mixture over chicken. Bake chicken at 400 F until tender, about 1 hour, basting several times with liquid from pan.

What's Your Take on This, Julie?

Dean, you're starting to sound like me with your calorie-trimming ideas. This recipe has been modified to cut calories and fat while keeping flavor. One lemon chicken breast prepared as described in the recipe contains 176 calories and 6.5 grams of fat. By using only one extra tablespoon of oil and leaving the skin on the breasts, each serving of chicken would contain 258 calories and 14.5 grams of fat.

The upcoming holidays put poultry in the spotlight for many meals. A Consumer Reports study found that two-thirds of chickens contain campylobacter—the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States. Put another way, campylobacter is four times more prevalent in chicken than salmonella bacteria. That fact may have some people thinking FOUL!

What's the family chef to do? Cook chicken thoroughly using temperature as a gauge of doneness and safety. That means investing in the cheapest potentially life-saving kitchen device—a meat thermometer. The USDA recommends that poultry be cooked to 180 F. Cooking kills bacteria, including campylobacter and salmonella, both of which cause flu-like symptoms and can be lethal to the elderly, young children, and those with compromised immune systems.

What about giving your chicken a "bath" to wash away all these germs? It's not the best idea, since bathing the bird could lead to cross contamination of surfaces and foods in your kitchen. In fact, a recent study of home kitchens found that 99 percent of cooks were doing something wrong that could cause foodborne illness. The major problem noted was cross-contamination.

As we prepare for the upcoming holidays and the quantity cooking that's involved, it's time to "Fight BAC" (bacteria, that is). The national Fight BAC campaign is being promoted through extension services nationwide, and brochures are available from county extension offices statewide in North Dakota.

Beyond eating nutritious food, prepare for upcoming indulgences by putting your best foot forward in the physical-activity arena too. Thirty minutes of moderate activity on at least five days of the week is the recommendation from the Surgeon General's 1996 Report. Washing windows, raking leaves, and, yes, shoveling snow all count toward the goal.

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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136 and Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187

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