People concerned with heart health (or who are cooking for me!) often ask me about which foods to avoid. So it seems like high time for my personal list of top 10 foods to stay away from. I’m not including obvious things like heavy cream, cheesecake or bacon. Instead, my list includes common supermarket foods that many people buy without considering the health consequences. I know I did, before a 90% blocked artery quite literally stopped me in my tracks.

10 Supermarket Foods to Avoid for Heart Health

1. Packaged baked goods. Trans fats should top your banned food list, and many cookies, cakes, pie crusts  - and even flour tortillas – are made with partially hydrogenated oil. And don’t let a “0 grams trans fat” label fool you – those products can still legally contain up to a half gram of trans fat, or may be made with palm oil (high in saturated fat) or soybean oil (too high in Omega-6 fatty acids.)

2.  Margarine and vegetable shortening. Most butter substitutes contain trans fats, and the more “natural” types contain palm oil.  You can find many recipes on this blog for baked goods and desserts made with heart-healthy oils. And for your toast, try some high-quality extra virgin olive oil, almond butter or just a touch of jam.

3. Non-baked tortilla chips. People are often misled by chips with natural sounding names. No matter what kind of oil your chips are cooked in, fried is fried. Instead, buy baked chips like Guiltless Gourmet brand, or better yet, cut up fresh corn tortillas and bake your own.

4.  Frozen entrees. These highly processed foods represent some of the most unhealthy choices in the supermarket aisles. Even most of the vegan and organic ones are laden with salt and fat – like Amy’s Macaroni and Non-Dairy Cheeze, with 22 grams of fat.  Make Fat Free Vegan’s lowfat version instead

5. Soda and other sweetened drinks. Whether sweetened with high fructose corn syrup or real sugar, most bottled drinks are just empty calories that contribute to weight gain. Why not stick to water and save your sugar quota for an occasional homemade treat?

6. White bread and white pasta. Refined flours are quick-digesting carbs that raise your blood sugar – and that’s not a good thing for your heart or weight. With lots of whole grain pasta choices on the shelves, and with all the delicious 100% whole grain artisan breads available these days, it’s easy to make the switch.

7. Standard supermarket meat. Corn-fed factory meat has a higher risk of e. coli, likely contains growth hormones and has more fat and fewer Omega-3 fatty acids than organic chicken and grass-fed beef.  If you’re a meat eater, seek out the good stuff – it tastes better, too.

8. Energy and granola bars. I’m always amazed to see people pick up bars based on a cool label, without reading the nutritional information. Most are far too high in sugar and saturated fat, and contain little nutritional value. Read the labels carefully and avoid any bars made with high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oils. Chose bars with more than 2 grams of fiber, fewer than 1 gram of saturated fat, and under 10 grams of sugar. Or skip the bars and get your energy from an apple and some almonds.

9. Bottled salad dressings. These are generally made from unhealthy oils like soybean, and are loaded with sugar and sodium (fat-free dressings are the worst offenders when it comes to sugar). So pour on some extra virgin olive oil and vinegar instead – your salad and your heart will be better off.

10. Tilapia. I saved the most surprising one for last. Tilapia is very low in Omega-3 fatty acids, and very high in Omega-6. As I explained in my last Nutrition Tip, that’s not the balance you want – so go for a healthier fish choice like salmon, sardines or trout.

Uber-important disclaimer:  I am not a nutritionist or health professional.  My dietary advice is based on my own research and personal experience with heart disease. The information on this blog is not intended to treat or diagnose. Please consult your doctor or a nutritionist if you have any questions about dietary issues. Thanks.

Da Vinci said “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Keep that in mind as you quickly toss together raw sweet corn from three ears, a cup of chopped super ripe tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, a half cup of minced red onion, a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon or more of lemon juice.

Seriously, don’t let the summer end before trying this. Enough said.

This is my entry for September’s “No Croutons Required” event, hosted this month by the blog Food and Spice. The theme this month is corn!

My friend Louise absolutely loves ratatouille.  ”Rat,” she calls it. I’ve never seen anyone get so excited about a bowl of vegetables! So I’m sorry that she couldn’t be there for this slightly tricked-out version made with grilled zucchini and eggplant. I could have grilled the onions and peppers too, but I didn’t want the smoky taste to overwhelm the dish.

Packed with nothing but vegetables, this stuff is pretty damn healthy. To complete the meal I’d recommend pairing it with a whole grain like brown rice and maybe a healthy-ish sausage of your choice. (Although I’ve been known to eat it with nothing but a hunk of crusty bread.)

Anyway, this version is a nice change of pace from the usual ratatouille. In fact, when I tasted the finished dish, I got nearly as fired up as Louise gets about Rat. And trust me, that’s saying a lot.

Ratatouille with Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 pounds eggplant, chopped (salt it if it’s not young, super fresh eggplant)
3 medium zucchini (or use a mixture of zucchini and yellow squash)
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 green bell peppers, chopped
4-5 large very ripe tomatoes, peeled seeded and chopped
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Start a fire in your grill. Combine the eggplant and zucchini with 1 tablespoon of oil. Grill in a vegetable basket, stirring, for about 8 minutes or until the vegetables are about halfway cooked. Remove to a plate and hold.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Saute the onions for 8-10 minutes, then add the garlic and peppers and cook 5 minutes more. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme and parsley, along with the grilled vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes or until the vegetables are quite soft. Add the fresh basil and serve.

Serves 6

Regular visitors will notice some big changes on What Would Cathy Eat? today. In addition to a whole new look, there are also some features to make it easier to find what you’re craving, like a Google-powered search tool and a listing of recipes by category. Oh, and there’s an actual picture of me on the About page.

Thanks so much to everyone at cre8d design for putting this all together – and especially Rachel for her limitless patience with my constant indecision. The design that cre8d put together really reflects my personality, which is no small feat. I need to send these guys a pie or something … except they’re in New Zealand!

Hope you all enjoy WWCE more than ever – please comment and let me know what you think.

Just a quick post to tip you off to one of my favorite salads. I love how the earthy beets and sweet oranges play off the peppery arugula. I’ve suggested pistachio nuts as an addition here, but toasted almonds or walnuts would be equally delicious.

I used beets straight from my garden, which did make a difference.  Quite a few of my dinner companions asked, “Where did you get these beets?”  From the ground, of course!

Beet, Orange and Arugula Salad

4 medium beets
2 large navel oranges
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, minced (optional)
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
5-ounce package baby arugula (or two bunches arugula)
1/3 cup unsalted shelled pistachio nuts
1 small red onion, halved lengthwise sliced into thin half moons

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the stems and wrap each beet tightly in foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake about an hour or until the beets feel tender when pierced with a knife. Let them cool for 10-15 minutes, then chop off the top of the beets and slip off the peels. Chop into 1-inch pieces.

Cut the top and bottom off the oranges and stand them upright. Cut off the peel, following the contour of the orange and removing as much of the white pith as possible. Slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then halve or quarter each slice.

Mix the vinegar, mustard, garlic and shallots in a bowl, then gradually whisk in the olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, toss the arugula with the dressing and divide between six plates. Top each salad with the chopped beets, oranges, red onion and pistachio nuts.

Serves 6

Do you think it’s a coincidence that my Maine vacation coincided with the beginning of wild blueberry season up there?  Of course not!  My travel companions were buzzing for weeks about the prospect of blueberry pie, which I promptly made them once we arrived at our lake house.  But I didn’t stop there – the abundance of tiny wild blueberries was just too tempting.  When I announced that I was going to make blueberry buckle next, I got some slightly confused looks that said “What the hell is a buckle?”

Some people think a buckle is similar to a cobbler or crumble. But it’s really something quite different: a cake with berries in the batter, topped with a streusel topping.  Buckles are popular in Texas and New England, but its origins are debated.  A Mainer I met on the shore of Tunk Lake told me it originated in this state. So who am I to question him?

I first had buckle as a kid, but had forgotten all about it until I saw this recipe in Vegetarian Times.  Astonishingly, it’s vegan – it certainly doesn’t seem like it. The main change I made was adding pecans to the topping – an essential improvement, if you ask me.

You have one important choice to make with this recipe: If you use the full 4 cups of berries specified, you’ll end up with a buckle that’s almost bread pudding-like (as in the photo.)  Use 2 cups and you have a blueberry-laced coffee cake.  I like the cake-like version, but my gang of fellow vacationers went nuts for the texture of the former. Which one is more authentic?  I have no idea.  After all, I’m no buckle authority … but I’m working on it.

Blueberry Buckle

Topping:
3/4 c. whole-wheat pastry flour
1/3 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
4 T. canola oil

Cake:
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
3/4 c. maple syrup
1/3 c. canola oil
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. salt
2-4 c. fresh blueberries (see above)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9-inch springform pan and wrap bottom with foil. (If you use the smaller quantity of berries, you can bake this in an 8″ square baking pan instead.)   To make the topping, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.  Add oil gradually and mix with your fingers until crumbly, and set aside. Meanwhile, mix flours, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk syrup, oil and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture and mix briefly. Fold in the berries.

Spread the batter in the pan and sprinkle on the topping. Bake 55 to 65 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean (it will take the longer time if you’ve used 4 cups of berries.)  Cool 30 minutes unmold, and dig in.

I’m not a nutritionist by any means. But as someone with heart disease, I’ve learned enough to throw some useful nutrition facts your way on the occasional Tuesday.

Everyone knows about Omega-3 fatty acids: they’re good for your heart and a lot more. But Omega-6 fatty acids are also an important dietary consideration, particularly the balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6.  It’s estimated that the average American diet contains between 14 and 25 times more Omega-6 than 3.  That’s not good, because high consumption of Omega-6 promotes inflammation and is associated with heart diseases, arthritis, depression, cancer and more.  The optimal balance is 4:1 or lower – some experts recommend a 2:1 ratio.

Start reading nutrition labels, and you’ll start to see how Omega-6’s sneak into your diet – the biggest culprits are polyunsaturated oils:  corn, sunflower*, safflower*, soy and cottonseed, found in commercial breads and baked goods, margarines, salad dressings and many other processed foods – even veggie burgers and soy dogs.  Other foods high in Omega-6 include tofu, sunflower seeds, whole grains and meats.  (However, note that grass-fed beef has a much, much better Omega-6 to 3 ratio than grain-feed beef.) So bottom line, here’s my advice:

• Strongly limit your intake of the oils listed above. Instead, choose oils like extra virgin olive, organic canola, and macadamia nut.
• Balance the Omega-6s you do eat with Omega-3’s from olive oil, flax seeds, avocados, oily fish, winter squash, beans and omega-3 fortified eggs.
• Don’t bake with margarine – it makes me crazy to see all of the vegan recipes with Earth Balance! Choose a heart-healthy oil instead.

* UPDATE: “high oleic” versions of sunflower and safflower oil are quite different and will not have the same inflammatory effect as the regular type. If the sunflower and safflower oils in your supermarket aren’t clearly marked, look on nutrition labels for a high monounsaturated fat content and a low polyunsaturated content – that indicates a high-oleic oil.

Hope this info helps you keep the all-important Omega balance in mind as you chow your way through the week.

Rhubarb season usually ends in June ’round these parts, but for some reason the rhubarb survived in my garden until very recently.  Sadly, there wasn’t enough to make a pie. But I found a recipe for  red lentils with rhubarb in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.  I’ve changed the spices a bit and added onions and carrots, but give Mr. Bittman total credit for the idea of adding rhubarb – something that would have never crossed my mind!  The rhubarb is delicious here, but fairly subtle, so don’t go worrying that it’s going to be too sour.  Served on brown rice with a dollop of nonfat yogurt, this makes a superb – and very nutritious – supper.

If rhubarb isn’t still in season is over where you live, you can leave it out and you’ll still have a nice simple dal.  Or think of another tangy addition of your own – tomatillos, anyone?

Red Lentil Dal with Rhubarb

2 c. dried red lentils, rinsed
2 T. canola oil
1 t. mustard seeds
½ t. cumin seeds
1” piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 fresh jalapeno or Serrano pepper, minced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. turmeric
½ t. black pepper
Small pinch cinnamon
1 medium onion, diced
2 small carrots, diced (about 2/3 c.)
3 stalks rhubarb, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
½ t. salt

Heat the oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or large saucepan. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute. Add the ginger, hot pepper, garlic, coriander, turmeric, pepper and cinnamon, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the onions and carrots and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the lentils, rhubarb and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until lentils and vegetables are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Add salt to taste halfway through cooking time. If the dal gets too thick, add a little extra water.

Serves 6.

I’m a big fan of using dried fruits and nuts in salads, but the combination always needs to be offset by something tangy or savory. In this grain salad recipe, the vinegar, mustard and scallions do the trick.  It’s most delicious at room temperature, making it an ideal dish for a picnic – or for lunch at your desk for that matter.

Farro is a seriously underused whole grain, at least outside of Italy.  Admittedly, it isn’t readily available in most U.S. supermarkets, but you can find it at many natural foods stores, or on Amazon.  And if you don’t have any on hand, the recipe below is also good made with barley.

Fruity Nutty Farro Salad

2 c. farro
6 c. water
½ c. freshly squeezed orange juice
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. red wine vinegar
½ t. Dijon mustard
½ c. extra virgin olive oil
2/3 c. sliced almonds or roughly chopped pistachios, toasted
2-3 scallions (depending on size), sliced
2/3 c. dried whole cherries, preferably unsweetened
1/3 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and black pepper to taste

Toast the nuts and set aside. Soak the farro in a bowl of water for 30 minutes, then drain and place in a medium saucepan with water to cover by 1 inch. Cook until tender but still quite chewy, anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes depending on the brand of farro. Drain well and put in a serving bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix the orange juice, vinegars and mustard, then slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour over the warm farro and stir to combine. Let cool for 20 minutes or more, then add the remaining ingredients. Season to taste, but be cautious with the salt as it can overwhelm the delicate sweetness of this dish.  Add a bit of extra balsamic vinegar if needed to balance the flavors.

I saw a photo of a plum cake, and I just knew I had to make one.  I went hunting for recipes and found several that looked great, including this one from Eating Well and this one from Smitten Kitchen.  I did a mashup of the two, adding a hint of almond extract and cloves – and cutting down the sugar significantly, for at least a nod to nutrition!  I used tiny plums and got a lot of oohs and ahhs because of the cool pattern they created, and it worked well because there was one plum to each small piece of cake.  But you can use regular sized plums, as the Smitten Kitchen recipe does.

The great thing about this cake is the contrast in textures. Every bite combines the slightly dry (but not in a bad way) spice cake with the hit of the wet plum. Pure summer cake pleasure.

By the way, there’s only a third-cup of oil in the entire recipe – proof that great cake doesn’t need to be loaded with butter or other fat. So it’s perfect for people like me, who love dessert but are watching their cholesterol. But trust me, you don’t need to be a health nut to enjoy this.

Fresh Plum Cake

3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 T. cornstarch
1 ½ t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
¼ t. cinnamon
½ t. salt
Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
½ c. packed brown sugar
2/3 c. nonfat plain yogurt
1/3 c. organic canola oil
1 egg
1 egg white
1 ½ t. vanilla extract
1/8 t. almond extract
12-13 very small plums (around 1 to 1 ½ inches diameter), halved, pitted
2 T. currant or pomegranate jelly

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the dry ingredients, except sugar. In a second bowl, vigorously whisk together the sugar, yogurt, oil, egg(s), and extracts. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, stirring just until the flour mixture is incorporated.

Spray an 8×8” baking pan with oil and pour in the batter. Place the plums in rows (I did 5 rows of five plum halves each), cut side up. Push each plum very slightly into the batter. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out fairly clean.

Meanwhile, heat the currant jelly in a small saucepan with 1 teaspoon of water. Brush the hot cake lightly with this glaze.  Let cool for 1 hour and serve.

Serves 8-10.