Ascension St. Vincent dietitian shares recipes for heart-healthy holiday cooking
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The holiday season is stuffed with wonderful food, but for people following a heart-healthy diet, it can be hard to find recipes that are both delicious and health-conscious.
Adriane Geesaman, a registered dietitian with the Ascension St. Vincent Heart Center, stopped by Daybreak on Tuesday to share some delicious recipes that are also good for the heart.
The recipes are part of a 20-recipe cookbook Geesaman and other members of the heart center’s dietary team put together to mark the facility’s 20th anniversary.
One of Geesaman’s go-to recipes from the cookbook is for a Mexican quinoa cookbook. She says it’s a recipe that’s good year-round and as an entree during the holidays.
“It’s a great vegan dish. The beans, the quinoa, the corn — it’s all packed with fiber and nutrients. It’s also really delicious,” Geesaman said. “You can serve it with avocado, you can serve it with lime, too, as a garnish.”
For heart-healthy eaters who have a bit of a sweet tooth, Geesaman recommends whole-wheat banana bread.
“It’s really good and also easy to throw together when you’re short on time over the holidays. It’s made with whole-wheat flour and I also added some walnuts for some heart-healthy fats and fiber. It’s made with olive oil — those oils that are liquid at room temperature are lower in saturated fat and a little more heart-healthy,” Geesaman explained.
Geesaman says most of the recipes in the cookbook use ingredients that people already have in their kitchens — and there are plenty of opportunities to substitute fresh foods with canned and frozen versions.
“We don’t like to label any foods bad dietitians, but it’s all about portion control. Making the substitution is to make something a little heart healthier, especially if you’re following those restrictions over the holidays,” Gessaman said.
For more heart-healthy recipes, use the download link above or visit Ascension St. Vincent’s Google Drive download page.