NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
June 8, 2000
Crunchy, chewy, creamy, gooey, silky ... smooth. There are a lot of words to describe the marvelous attributes that textures bring to food. And combining textures extends that list of tongue-tantalizing accolades to the length of a banquet table.
It's no coincidence that combinations in Chinese dishes such as peanuts and water chestnuts offer crunches that shout while pea pods and baby corn seem only to whisper. These crunches complement by way of contrast and produce a crescendo of contentment whenever I eat any number of Szechwan-style dishes, which are equally long on fiery flavor.
But Asian cuisine does not hold sole ownership to the artful blending of textures. The Mexican equivalent to a hamburger--the taco--is equally adept at providing partakers with the benefits of crunch--from the shredded lettuce and crisp corn shell, offset by the more subdued splendor of the diced fresh tomatoes and sliced black olives.
The Mediterranean culture has produced some interesting textures, too, ranging from a crusty loaf of hearth-baked bread to the encrusted allure of a well-aged cheese. An antipasto salad including bits of leafy greens, crumbly cheeses, tangy pepperocini, the salty hint of anchovy--all enveloped in the flowing smoothness of an olive-oil-rich vinaigrette--provides a smorgasbord of textural sensation with every mouthful.
Of course, Americans have something of a melting-pot cuisine to go along with the melting-pot culture that has resulted from generations of immigrants seeking fresh starts here. And with a cornucopia of cultures blending cuisines, the results are bound to be palate pleasers.
While perhaps not as original as apple pie, the recipe that follows combines the gentle resistance of cooked broccoli and navy beans, with the punctuated persistence of iceberg lettuce and sunflower seeds--all without the added expense of too many calories.
Broccoli and Navy Bean Salad
(This recipe comes from "The Bean Cookbook," published by the North Dakota Department of Health.)
Yield: 4 servingsIngredients:
1 cup broccoli florets
½ cup cooked or canned navy beans, drained
½ cup no-oil Italian dressing
¼ head iceberg lettuce, washed and chilled
¼ cup sunflower seeds
cherry tomatoes or tomato wedges (optional)Procedure:
Steam broccoli until tender (or cook covered in a microwave for two to eight minutes.) Combine broccoli, beans and dressing. Chill several hours. Tear lettuce into small pieces and toss with bean mixture. Sprinkle sunflower seeds on top and serve. If desired, garnish with cherry tomatoes or a regular tomato into four or eight wedges.
What's Your Take on This, Julie?
A serving of Broccoli and Navy Bean Salad contains 110 calories, 4.4 grams of fat, and 4 grams of fiber. This recipe also is rich in folate from the beans and broccoli. Folate has been shown to reduce risk of birth defects and may reduce our risk for heart disease.
Dry beans and other members of the legume family have a long history. Considered the emblem of life by ancient Egyptians, beans were worshiped and temples were erected in their honor. "Counting beans" began with the Greeks and Romans who used beans as symbols when casting votes and deliberating trial verdicts. Dry beans were a staple for sailors, and white pea beans became known as "navy beans" because they sustained the seafaring branch of the military.
Bean soup and bread was the universal diet among the peasants of Europe in the 17th century, and according to folklore, beans cured baldness. While the bean-baldness connection turned out to be a myth, men short on hair who ate hearty portions of beans may have been healthier than their hairier counterparts.
Dry beans are nutritional all stars. Besides protein, fiber and folate, beans contain iron, calcium, copper, zinc, potassium, riboflavin, thiamin and niacin--all at an economical price. Recent research has shown that beans can reduce blood cholesterol and even may improve blood glucose control among diabetics.
An excellent source of low-fat protein, a half-cup of cooked dry beans contains about 65 calories, 2.5 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein. While bean protein is considered incomplete because it lacks certain protein building blocks or amino acids, beans can be combined with rice or other cereals so vegetarians get the full complement of amino acids necessary for growth and repair of body tissues.
When preparing dry beans, always inspect them for stones and other foreign materials before cooking them. Dry beans have a hard shell and need to be soaked following a two- to three-minute boil. A four-hour soak is considered optimum, or you can forego the extra time by purchasing canned beans. Some ingredients like molasses, tomatoes, catsup and vinegar should only be added after beans have been soaked and fully cooked because these ingredients can prevent the beans from fully softening. And resist temptation to add soda to prevent intestinal gas; all soda does is destroy B vitamins.
As a complement to the light color and soft texture of the beans, broccoli adds color and crunch--and extra nutrition--to Broccoli and Navy Bean Salad. Broccoli, along with radishes, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale and cauliflower, is considered a cruciferous vegetable and also has been a topic of recent research. The antioxidants and other phytochemicals in broccoli can help the body detoxify cancer-causing chemicals and protect our cells from damage.
Try this colorful and nutritious salad as a summer side dish. It's a tasty way to work toward the 5-A-Day goal--at least two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables daily.
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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136
Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187
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