Ingredients:
1-1/2 cup lightly packed cups baby spinach leaves
3/4 lb. small potatoes, preferably yellow-fleshed
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions, green part only
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Place spinach in food processor. Whirl, stopping as needed to scrape down sides of the bowl, until spinach is finely chopped and moist but not pureed. (This step can also be done with a large, sharp knife.) Set aside.

2. Place potatoes and garlic in a saucepan. Add cold water until the level is 2 inches above potatoes. Set over medium-high heat until water boils, then reduce heat and cook until potatoes are very soft, 20 to 25 minutes, depending on their size.

3. Drain potatoes and garlic in colander, then immediately return them to hot pot, shaking pan until potatoes look dry. With fork, roughly mash potatoes to break them up. Add spinach, scallions and oil. Mash until potatoes are fluffy and bright green, with skins well mixed in. Spinach will be wilted rather than soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings or 2 cups

Per serving: 103 calories, 4 g. total fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat),
16 g. carbohydrate, 2 g. protein, 3 g. dietary fiber, 22 mg. sodium

Citrus fruits can dress up a winter salad with healthy vitamin C. The cancer-fighting compound lycopene makes the grapefruit in this recipe red.This week’s recipe is an elegant yet simple combination of grapefruit sections, fennel wedges and shards of savory Italian Asiago cheese, dressed with a drizzle of olive oil. In case you’ve never tried it, fresh fennel resembles celery, with a larger bulb at the base. It’s easy to find in most supermarkets, and has a crisp texture, delicately pale green color and slightly licorice-sweet taste. Combined with juicy red grapefruit and piquant slivers of Asiago, this salad gets rid of the winter blahs in a hurry.

Ingredients:
1 large fennel bulb
1 large red grapefruit
1 oz. Asiago cheese
4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, preferably mild and fruity
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Trim the fennel by slicing it across the top just where the bulb starts to swell, cutting off any stalks and fronds. Cut off a slice from the tough bottom. With your fingers pull away any tough or bruised outer layers. Halve the bulb vertically, making 2 pieces. Cut each half vertically into five 1/2-inch wedges. Trim away most of the hard core from each wedge, leaving just enough to hold its layers together.

2. Cut the top and bottom off the grapefruit, cutting deep enough to expose the flesh. Standing the grapefruit on its flat bottom on a work surface, work a knife down the side, following the curved shape of the fruit to slice the peel and white pith in a strip. Keep rotating the grapefruit until all the peel is removed. Holding the peeled fruit over a bowl, work the knife in along the membrane on both sides of every section, releasing the flesh into the bowl. Squeeze the juice from the membrane into the bowl.

3. To assemble the salad, on each of four salad plates, arrange 5 fennel edges in an arc. Fan out 4 grapefruit wedges below the fennel, slightly overlapping them. Holding the chunk of cheese over each plate, use a vegetable peeler to shave a few thin slices over the salad, using one-quarter ounce of the cheese for each serving. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the oil over each salad. Season with a pinch of ground pepper. Serve the salad immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving:
110 calories, 7 g total fat (2 g saturated fat), 11 g carbohydrate,
3 g protein,  3 g dietary fiber, 115 mg sodium.

Pack veggies and lean meat into an anytime meal that everyone will enjoy. Hearty brown rice contains essential vitamins and minerals and has nearly four times more fiber than enriched white rice. Research has shown that diets high in fiber may help lower the risk of colorectal cancer.

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice (uncooked)
2 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped yellow squash
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1-1/2 Tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Cook brown rice according to package instructions, substituting chicken broth for water.

2. Meanwhile, in large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, zucchini and yellow squash and sautŽ for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add chicken and soy sauce and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add cooked rice and egg to the skillet. Stir over medium heat until egg is just cooked.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with toasted almonds and serve.

Makes 5 servings

Per serving:
327 calories, 9 g total fat (2 g saturated fat), 36 g carbohydrate,
24 g protein, 3 g dietary fiber, 459 mg sodium.