GUEST BLOG: Andre Cooks Up Something Festive

Happy Holidays everyone stopping by! I'm Andre Scott, a youth advocate and blogger with the American Heart Association, and this month I'm writing about ways we can stay heart-healthy during the Christmas season by making good choices with our holiday recipes. 

Christmas day I spend time with my family, open presents, and we count our blessings. Our delicious Christmas meals are part of our celebrations but also play a huge factor in the condition of our heart and blood vessels through saturated fat and sodium content. Here are some ways you can have a heart-healthy diet during Christmas time. Remaining heart-healthy and eating the foods we love during the holidays may seem impossible, but we can make sure our foods have low sodium and/or saturated fat, so they are beneficial towards our hearts and blood vessels.

Today, I made a delicious and heart-healthy “Festive Turkey Rice Salad” using a recipe from the American Heart Association’s holiday recipes. It is a very easy and heart-healthy Christmas meal with low cholesterol, carbs, saturated fat, and sodium. It's all about eating good for our hearts!

Ingredients (Servings 6)

2 tablespoons plain rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin preferred)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 1/2 cups cooked wild or brown rice
1 1/2 cups chopped, skinless, cooked turkey breast without salt
1/3 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
1 bunch chopped green onions (about 1/2 cup)

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lime juice, oil, honey, and ginger.
In a large bowl, stir together the rice, turkey, cranberries, and green onions. Pour the dressing over the salad, tossing to coat. Refrigerate, covered, until serving time.

Quick Tips

🗸 Keep it Healthy: Make this delightful salad year round using rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken breast.

🗸 Cooking Tip: You can also toss leftover peas or veggies of your choice into the salad.

🗸 Tip: Use quick-cooking couscous instead of rice.

Want to give it a try? HERE is the recipe I used for the “Festive Turkey Rice Salad” It was so much fun to make it with my family. 

Hard to find a heart-healthy recipe? Check out American Heart Association’s “Taste of the Holidays Cook Book” by clicking HERE. 

We invite each of you to join Andre and get involved with the lifesaving advocacy work of the American Heart Association. Add your voice by simply texting HEART to 46839 right now or CLICK HERE. It only takes a few moments, and you will be a part of a powerful movement to save lives. Already involved? Share this blog with a friend and invite them to join us!