Flavor

SIMPLY HEALTHY

Melissa Moore, R.D., L.D. is a registered dietitian at the Cotton- O'Neil Heart Center, a division of Stormont-Vail HealthCare. Melissa teaches three free Heart Healthy Cooking classes per month to help people develop more healthy eating habits. Call Health Connections at (785) 354-5225. Her column runs the first and third Wednesday in The Capital-Journal.

Have your New Year's resolutions to get healthy gone by the wayside? It's not too late to spring into action. Consider the benefits of serving salad for an evening meal. Grilled chicken salad makes a quick, easy dinner.

Prepare the chicken and buttermilk dressing the night before. The time you save in preparation will enable you to round up the family for an enjoyable walk in the neighborhood. A 10-minute walk is a great start. Even small amounts of physical activity can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Soon you will be enjoying those after-dinner exercise times and, gradually, you can increase your walking time.

The American Heart Walk on April 23 is another great way to start your walking program.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Dressing

Dressing:

1/3 cup fat-free mayonnaise

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Cracked black pepper, to taste

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, each 4 ounces

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 cups torn salad greens

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 sweet onion, sliced (Vidalia is best)

Preparing dressing: In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, buttermilk, dill, garlic and black pepper. Whisk until smooth. Cover, refrigerate until needed.

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler. Lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Position cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from heat source.

Brush chicken breasts with olive oil. Grill or broil until browned and just cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken to a cutting board. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing into strips.

In a large bowl, combine salad greens, bell pepper, onion and most of dressing. Toss to mix well. Transfer salad to individual plates. Add sliced chicken and drizzle with remaining dressing. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories, 186; fat, 4 grams; saturated fat, 1 gram; monosaturated fat, 2 grams; sodium, 259 milligrams; carbohydrates, 8 grams; protein, 27 grams; cholesterol, 66 milligrams; fiber, 2 grams; potassium, 559 milligrams; and calcium, 58 milligrams.

Copyright 2005
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.