7:17 a.m. EST, February 27, 2012

No Makeup for Eating Disorder Awareness Week

This week is "Eating Disorder Awareness Week." More than 11 million people battle the life-threatening disease every year.

According to the Renfrew Center, the disease can start simply because someone has low self-esteem. To raise awareness, the center is encouraging women to not wear makeup today for its "Barefaced and Beautiful, Without and Within" campaign.

For more information on eating disorders and the ‘Barefaced and Beautiful, Without & Within’ campaign, visit http://www.renfrewcenter.com/news-events/news/barefacedandbeautiful.asp


Cooking Heart-Healthy in February

This week's Chef Donna segment on Fox43 Morning News focuses on pistachio's.

Cooking heart healthy isn’t too difficult.  Choose smart oils, like grapeseed (high in omega-6 essential fatty acid) or walnut oil (high in omega-3’s).  And, of course add nuts!

Pistachio’s are a great choice because there are so many easy ways to incorporate them into your diet.  Add them to whole grains at any meal or a salad.  Top oatmeal with chopped pistachios that have been roasted with a bit of Chinese 5-Spice powder for a deliciously different breakfast.

My favorite is to just grind them up in a food processor to create a “dust.”  I sprinkle it on everything – like poultry and fish, especially vegetables.  But, if you’re using bread crumbs to give a crispy coating to fish or chicken (or even vegetable “steaks”) add some ground pistachios to your bread crumb mixture for a delicious twist.  Not only will it taste great, but it makes smart heart sense, too.  Low in saturated fat but high in mono- and poly- unsaturated fats, they also have fiber and a rich meaty taste.

Keep your snacking to a small handful though!  Pistachios, like so many nuts are high in calories.  (Tip: buy the shelled pistachios so you have to work for your snack!  You’ll eat less because you have to shell each one!)

This fast easy cauliflower dish shows how terrific adding pistachio’s can be.  Bland, regular cauliflower is easily transformed with a quick steam-saute in a heart healthy oil, and finished with a generous sprinkling of pistachio dust.  Eat heart healthy has never been this easy or taste this great.

Ingredients
1 cup unshelled pistachios
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tablespoons heart healthy oil such as grapeseed or walnut
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup roasted tomatoes (purchased from your grocer’s antipasti or salad bar), coarsely chopped
¼ cup roasted red peppers (purchased from your grocer’s antipasti or salad bar), coarsely chopped
4 cups arugula and spinach