An Easy, Healthy Pasta Dish

WhiteBeanPasta 153 KBWhen you want a quick, delicious meal that’s loaded with cancer-fighting fiber, try our Health-e-Recipe for White Bean Pasta. All you need is a whole-wheat version of your favorite kind of small pasta and a can of cannellini (white) beans, plus onion, some green herbs and Parmesan cheese. If you toss in a few halved cherry tomatoes (or diced red bell pepper), you have a dish that pleases the eye as well as the tastebuds. Feel free to get creative and add more veggies: shred some carrots, slice some mushrooms or chop some spinach. All will mix well with this basic dish.

Fiber-rich plant foods — vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans — are found in studies to fill us up so we are satisfied with less food. So not only do we get essential cancer-preventive compounds from these healthy foods, they also make it easier to keep calories and weight under control — another key to preventing cancer. AICR points out that 320 cases of cancer could be prevented each day if Americans maintained a healthy weight.

You can find more healthy recipes by visiting the AICR Test Kitchen; we also have tips for weight management. Click here to subscribe to our weekly Health-e-Recipes.


Your Own Easy Applesauce

To celebrate National Fiber Focus Month, we have a terrific easy recipe: Baked Apple Sauce. With four grams of fiber in just 1/2 cup, this low-calorie and delicious homemade mix can accompany breakfast, lunch or dinner for a boost of cancer-fighting fiber.Applesauce_small

You’ll warm up any chilly winter day by heaping at least three kinds of cored apples into a heavy, wide baking dish and cooking them for just over an hour. Add a jot of cinnamon and a little honey, stir and you have a succulent sauce. Try it with other fiber-rich foods like whole-grain pancakes or oatmeal or cooked butternut squash. Applesauce always tastes great with poultry or a lean pork chop, too. By itself, it’s a tasty dessert or snack.

Eating plenty of dietary fiber – 35 grams per day is recommended for adults – is known by researchers to lower risk for colorectal cancer. And apples contain quercetin and other protective phytochemicals. So dig into this Health-e-Recipe and enjoy.

For more delicious cancer-fighting recipes, visit www.aicr.org.


Adventurous, Cancer-Fighting Thanksgiving Foods for All

Indian Rice and Vegetable Casserole

Whether you’re hosting the Thanksgiving meal or contributing a dish or two to the feast, enjoy your traditional favorites, but this year, be adventurous. Try something new using colorful and tasty vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains or nuts.

You’ll make your friends and family who are trying to cut back on meat happy, plus serve up delicious dishes that are good for everyone’s health. And these plant-based foods provide cancer-fighting fiber, vitamins A and C and other phytochemicals.

Don’t know where to start? These are some of my favorite recipes from AICR that have your meal covered from start to finish:

Hors d’oeuvres

Spicy Pear Chutney – chutneys are colorful, light and pack a lot of flavor and are a nice change from cheese and crackers. Serve with whole-grain crackers, mini-pitas or baked corn chips

First course

Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad with Walnuts – here’s a colorful and refreshing starter that’s satisfying without being too filling. High fiber foods like quinoa link to lower risk for colorectal cancer.

Savory Pumpkin Soup – you can begin and end your meal with golden, seasonal pumpkin. This carotenoid-rich food is one that can help reduce risk for oral cancers.

Main Course

Indian Rice and Vegetable Casserole – this warmly spiced dish makes a stunning presentation. It includes edamame (green soybeans) for protein and fiber. Learn more about soyfoods and cancer in our Foods that Fight Cancer: Soy.

Dessert

Square Apple Pie – this scrumptious dessert was a big hit with our recipe testers. It’s simple to make and the apples contain quercetin, a compound that can fight inflammation.

What are some of your favorite plant-based Thanksgiving recipes?