TASTE
Roll up healthy prepared foods for summer meal
| • | Demand puts acai out of reach for those closest to it |
By Jim Romanoff
Associated Press
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Can fast food really be healthy?
It can when it's a quick no-cook supper assembled at home.
On summer nights when the kitchen is scorching and the takeout temptation peaks, taking the healthy route is easy with dishes that take advantage of convenient ingredients readily available at most grocers.
Deli meats, pre-washed and cut produce, and flavorful prepared sauces can be the healthy cook's secret weapons, but you'll need to use some nutrition smarts when you shop.
For example, sliced deli meats are a good way to avoid cooking, but they can be loaded with salt and fat. The trick is the make smart choices. Such as deli roasted pork, which has only 70 calories, 3 grams of fat and under 300 milligrams of sodium per 2-ounce serving.
Roasted turkey breast is another possibility, though be warned — while it usually is low fat and calories, it often has as much as 600 milligrams of sodium per 2-ounce serving.
In this recipe for roast pork hoisin wraps, which can be assembled in less than 25 minutes, common low-prep ingredients from the deli counter, produce department and Asian aisle are combined for a sensational summer meal.
The veggies in this wrap also require minimal prep. Mung bean sprouts need only be rinsed, and the carrots can be purchased pre-shredded. Only the scallions need to be sliced in your kitchen.
Pre-washed and prepped vegetables do cost a bit more than whole ones, but in many cases the ease of use makes up for it. Plus, if the convenience means you eat more vegetables, then they are well worth the price.
A hoisin-based sauce, rich with the flavors of garlic, red chili peppers, vinegar and other spices, gives the roasted pork wraps its Asian accent. Hoisin sauce (found in the Asian food section of the market) is a smart choice because it combines many flavors in one jar.
As with many prepared ingredients, hoisin is quite salty, so don't use too much. In this case, frozen orange juice concentrate is used to add a touch of acidity and extend the sauce without adding salt.
The roasted pork and vegetable mixture is wrapped burrito-style in a whole-wheat tortilla, which has more flavor, fiber and nutrients than white flour versions. The recipe calls for heating the whole wrap in the microwave, but they're delicious eaten cold as well.
And if you can't find roasted pork at your deli, roasted turkey will do just fine.
To make it a meal, serve roast pork hoisin wraps with iced green tea and a salad of mesclun mix topped with orange slices.
ROAST PORK HOISIN WRAPS
In a large bowl, combine the hoisin sauce and orange juice concentrate. Add the sprouts, carrots, scallions and pork, then toss well to coat.
Spoon 1/4 of the pork mixture in a line down the center of each tortilla. Fold the ends inward, then roll up the tortillas, finishing with the seam side down.
Heat the wraps on a plate in the microwave on high power until the filling is hot, about 2 minutes. Slice each wrap crosswise into 2 pieces to serve.
Makes 4 servings.
