Menus

Menu Planner.  Interactive menu planner designed to guide daily food and meal choices based on your calorie needs. It can be used in advance to plan a meal, or at the end of a day to add up total calories, fat, and carbohydrates consumed.

Have-A-Bite Cafe.  An interactive menu planner designed by the Washington Dairy Council and Pacific Science Center.  Visit the Nutrition Cafe' for more interactive nutrition fun and learning.

Recipes

Vinegar. Vinegar has been around for more than 10,000 years. The Babylonians used it as a preservative and as a condiment and it was they who began flavoring it with herbs. Romans used it as a beverage. Hippocrates proclaimed its medicinal qualities and, indeed, it was probably one of our earliest remedies. The Bible references show how it was used for its soothing and healing properties. As recently as World War I, vinegar was being used to treat wounds. And today, it is being researched as a means to lower the glycemic index of foods and decrease the appetite. The following Fat Free Vinaigrette recipes are easy to prepare and can be used as a marinade, salad dressing, or sauce. Fat Free Vinaigrette Recipes Oriental Vinaigrette, Yield: 1 cup; Serving Size: Unlimited 1 clove garlic, cut in several pieces 1 cup rice vinegar (unseasoned) 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce 1 slice fresh ginger, cut in several pieces Combine all ingredients, stirring well to combine. Let stand for 45 minutes. Strain dressing. Discard ginger and garlic (or use in food preparation at a later time). Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing, Yield: 1 cup; Serving Size: Unlimited 3/4 cup water 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons capers 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1½ teaspoons dried basil 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped Combine the ingredients. Adjust vinegar to taste. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Chili-Cilantro Vinaigrette Dressing, Yield: ¾ cup; Serving Size: Unlimited 1 small green chili, diced ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro ¼ cup water ¼ cup fresh lime juice 1 clove garlic pinch, artificial sweetener freshly ground pepper to taste Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Citrus Herb Vinaigrette Dressing, Yield: 1½ cup; Serving Size: Unlimited ½ medium-sized red bell pepper, 2 medium tomatoes, diced ½ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ cup fresh orange juice ½ cup loosely packed fresh parsley ¼ cup raspberry vinegar 1 Tablespoon dry mustard 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 2 teaspoons fresh tarragon 2 teaspoons fresh oregano Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until pureed. Makes approximately 1½ cups Indian Vinaigrette Dressing, Yield: ¼ cup; Serving Size: Unlimited ¼ cup orange juice ¼ teaspoon ground coriander ¼ teaspoon chopped cilantro ½ teaspoon prepared hot mustard Put all ingredients in a small bowl, and stir. Let sit about 10 minutes. Orange and Lemon Vinaigrette, Yield: 1 cup; Serving Size: Unlimited ½ cup wine vinegar 4 Tablespoons lemon juice 4 Tablespoons orange juice grated rind of 1 lemon ½ teaspoon French mustard pinch garlic ground black pepper to taste Place all ingredients in a bowl, and mix thoroughly. Keep in the fridge and use within 2 days. Orange Thai Vinaigrette Dressing, Yield: ½ cup; Serving Size: Unlimited 5 Tablespoon orange juice 1 teaspoon minced ginger 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce ¼ cup rice vinegar pinch of cayenne Whisk together all ingredients with a fork. Parsley-Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing, Yield: ¾ cup; Serving Size: Unlimited ¼ cup tomato juice (low sodium) Pinch of cayenne pepper ¼ cup red wine vinegar ½ teaspoon oregano, fresh 1 Tablespoon onion, minced ½ teaspoon black pepper ¼ cup parsley, chopped fresh ½ cup tomatoes, chopped, fresh 1 garlic clove, minced Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Red Pepper Vinaigrette, Yield: ½ cup; Serving Size: Unlimited ¼ cup apple juice ¼ cup cider vinegar 2 tablespoons white onion 1 cloves garlic, pressed Pinches of rosemary and thyme ½ teaspoon dried whole oregano ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder ½ teaspoon paprika ½ of a roasted red bell pepper Mix in a blender. Blend thoroughly and chill overnight. Tomato Vinaigrette, Yield: ½ cup; Serving Size: Unlimited ½ cup tomato, chopped 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar ½ teaspoon dried basil ½ teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard Mix in a blender. Blend thoroughly and chill overnight. Lasts about 2 days. Serve on salads.

A Taste of Thai.    Free Thai recipes.

CalorieControl.org. Some favorite recipes made healthier.

Kids can Cook.   A web site for kids who like to cook. There are sections devoted to how to use cooking utensils, select foods, pick the right ingredients, store food safely.

McCormick.  Recipes and information on spices.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute  Coordinates activities related to causes of stroke with other research institutes and federal health programs. The Institute has created a series of free recipe eBooks with an ethnic flair. Heart Healthy Home Cooking African American Style.  Free eBook. Delicious Heart-Healthy Latino Recipes.  Learn to cook some of your favorite, traditional Latino dishes in a heart-healthy way. This bilingual cookbook contains 23 recipes that cut down on fat, cholesterol, and sodium. NIH Publication Number: 96-4049. Free eBook Vietnamese Heart Healthy Recipes.  This series of publications, Vietnamese Aspire for Healthy Hearts, is written for Vietnamese families. These easy-to-read, bilingual Vietnamese and English fact sheets provide readers with tips and essential information about lowering their risk for heart disease. Publication Number: 04-5203. Free ebook. Stay Young at Heart Recipes.  from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

National Pasta Association.  Free recipes and everything you ever wanted to know about pasta.

Pillsbury, Kitchen Basics. Great resource for cooking, weights, measures, and substitutes.

Recipelink.com. Home to thousands of recipes shared by visitors since 1996 and thousands of hand-selected cooking and recipe links. Checkout the Healthy, Low Fat Cooking, and Fitness section

Recipes4Us.   Conversion tables for Cooking.

Talksoy.com.  Designed specifically for consumers looking to incorporate soy into their daily diet, these sites provide an informative overview of soy products including cooking and diet tips. Download the "Great Health, Great Taste Everyday" Recipe Booklet.

U.S. Soyfoods Directories.  A free e-book to download with soy recipes, including tofu, tempeh, textured soy protein, soybeans and more.

Vegetarian Resource Group.   The Vegetarian Resource Group is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on vegetarianism and the interrelated issues of health, nutrition, ecology, ethics, and world hunger. In addition to publishing the Vegetarian Journal, VRG produces and sells cookbooks, other books, pamphlets, and article reprints.