Savoury, & spicy sweet satisfaction

At Vibes Cuisine, we live by the mantra of Hippocrates aka the Father of Medicine, who said, "Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food." Hundreds of years later, it's just common sense to eat the right things in the correct portions to be healthy and avoid illnesses.

Thirty per cent of Jamaicans have heart disease - that's one in every three persons. It is also the number one cause of death in the world, and the best preventative course is straight-forward proper nutrition. This entails making the right food choices, eliminating bad fats, excessive salt, sugar, refined carbs, and controlling eating portions.

And in this bid, you don't have to give up taste to eat healthy. We've compiled a few of our favourite dishes that are pleasing to your palate without compromising your family's waistlines.

Seafood, of course, is a great lean protein that we can afford to eat more often. We've made lovely tarts using basa fillets, cutting the fish to stretch our budget and combining it with lots of veggies.

Baking eliminates fatty oils (but you get the good omega-3 fatty acids from the basa) and less-processed cornmeal is a superior option to white flour. Grating the cheese also helps it to go further and you consume less. Make a family-size pie or do individual ones that can be presented very attractively.

CONTROL BLOOD PRESSURE

Now, hypertension or 'pressure' can be a contributing factor to heart disease, but there are more options for you to control the salt/sodium your family consumes. Our citrus chicken recipe makes the right moves using 'lite' soy and no further salt. Flavour comes from the orange juice and ginger. And once you are watching your sodium intake, you will enjoy the other seasonings much more.

Jamaica has seen quite a few raw-food restaurants coming on stream, so we've got an unconventional method to serve ripe plantain. Not only is it delicious, but you don't even have to cook it (saving your gas bill too). Yes, fried plantain is a much-loved traditional dish, but set some new trends or family favourites and try oil-free, flavourful, ceviche plantain. Your heart will thank you.

A neighbourhood stroll after your supper will "release endor-phins into your system", says the Heart Foundation of Jamaica's nutritionist, Frances Mahfood, "alleviates stress and makes you feel great. And when you feel great, you eat better." Such is the circle of (a well-balanced, healthy) life.

Vibes Tip: The simplest way to judge proper servings is to imagine your 9" dinner plate divided into segments. One half should be veggies, with one quarter starch and the other quarter the protein.

Citrus chicken and noodles

8 ounces dry cholesterol-free noodles or regular egg noodles, uncooked

³/⁴ cup orange juice

3 tbs lite soy sauce

4 tsp cornstarch

1 tbs firmly packed brown sugar

¹/² tsp ground ginger

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into thin slices

1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups fresh or thawed frozen snow peas, trimmed (or green vegetable of choice)

Method

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.

2. Beat orange juice, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar and ginger in small bowl with wire whisk until well blended; set aside.

3. Heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat for one minute, then add chicken. Cook for three minutes, or until no longer pink, stirring frequently.

4. Add tomatoes with their liquid and the orange juice mixture to same skillet; bring to a simmer.

5. Stir in veggies. Reduce heat to low, and simmer until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring constantly. Cook two to four minutes, or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

6. Drain noodles; place on serving platter. Top with the chicken mixture.

Basa fillet veggie cornmeal-crusted tart

Ingredients

8oz Rainforest basa fillets, cubed - seasoned with pepper,

1tbs of lime juice and minced garlic

²/³ cup cornmeal

¹/³ cup whole wheat flour

2 tbs unsalted butter

1 egg

3tbs water

2 small onions, thinly sliced

1 cup green vegetable of choice

3 tomatoes sliced

Salt and pepper

1 cup, mozzarella cheese, grated

Basil

Parmesan cheese to top

Method

1. Combine flour, cornmeal and water. Add butter and combine then press into baking dish as crust.

2. In a bowl, combine egg, onions, green veggie of choice, fish and mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper and basil.

3. Spoon filling onto tart crust, topping with tomato slices and sprinkling with Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes until golden.

5. Enjoy!

DASH Diet Chicken

Zest and juice of 1 orange

2 tbs wholewheat flour

¹/² tsp salt, divided

¹/² tsp freshly ground pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

1tbs olive oil

1 cup white wine

2tbs honey

¹/³-inch cinnamon stick

¹/² cup slivered almonds, toasted

Method

1. Combine flour and pepper in a shallow dish. Coat each piece of chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess.

2. Transfer the remaining flour to a small bowl, add broth and whisk the mixture until smooth.

3.
Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken
and cook until browned, three to four minutes per side. Transfer to a
plate.

4. Add wine to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Add the
flour-broth mixture, orange juice and zest, honey, cinnamon stick; bring
to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Return the chicken and any
accumulated juices to the pan and cook, turning the chicken once or
twice, until the sauce has thickened.

5. Transfer the chicken to a
serving platter. Discard the cinnamon stick. Spoon the sauce over the
chicken and garnish with almonds.

Ceviche plantain

INGREDIENTS

1 ripe plantain (firm but ripe)

¹/⁴ cup lime juice

3 stalks scallion cut into small pieces

Method

1. Peel and slice plantain in very thin slices.

2. Place on a plate in a single layer.

3. Sprinkle lime juice and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

4. When serving, sprinkle scallion