Government rations

Every time you set foot in the kitchen, you’ve got a cooking partner in the federal government, which regulates food, dictates what goes on nutrition labels and sets daily dietary goals to help you and your family improve the odds for good health.

What you might not know, however, is that your tax dollars also provide hundreds of recipes. They’re designed to help you eat more healthfully by boosting fruit and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meat, chicken and seafood and even by adding moderate amounts of healthy fat to your meals. In short, they’re the way that a growing number of nutrition experts and public health officials advise us to eat.

The question is: How do these healthy recipes taste?

Postings on the government Web site give the recipes high marks. “Excellent! Love the cookbook, great recipes. Will use this one often,” notes one unidentified writer.

We wondered if our veteran recipe testers would agree. Several of the recipes they tested had good flavor. Several others, however, did not. The most common comment from testers: bland.

Many of the recipes we chose to test sounded tempting, from healthy updates of old favorites — Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken, Smothered Greens and Delicious Oven French Fries — to the more exotic Mango Shake, Spinach Stuffed Sole and Bulgur Nut Salad.

All the recipes came from Web sites and booklets prepared by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Cancer Institute’s Five-a-Day Program. They were drawn from recipes that have been used in a wide variety of landmark, federally funded clinical trials. These trials include the Framingham Heart Study in Massachusetts, which has followed two generations of participants, and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, which proved a healthy diet could be as effective as some prescription medications in lowering blood pressure.

“Because these recipes were used in clinical trials, they are pretty low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium,” said Karen Donato, coordinator of the heart and lung institute’s Obesity Education Initiative. The goal of the recipes, she said, “is to let the public know that some of their favorite foods could be modified to be heart healthy.”

For our testing, we instructed testers to adhere strictly to the ingredients and instructions provided. Taste-testing, of course, is subjective, but our testers said several of the recipes lacked flavor. A few recipes fumbled a bit on the culinary front — not surprising, given that the recipes originated from old family recipes supplied by study participants rather than from chefs. In at least one instance, the portion size was smaller than what we’ve come to expect.

“So-so” is how one tester described a salad made with baby spinach leaves, tangerine slices, sunflower oil and red wine vinegar.

The batter for the 1-2-3 Peach Cobbler “didn’t cook sufficiently for my taste and, as a result, it was unpleasantly doughy and raw where it was closest to the filling,” our tester said. But this tester also noted that her husband liked it.

Our testers found some clear “keepers,” and those recipes are published here. We thought even those might benefit from a little tinkering, which we’ve noted.

Spinach-Stuffed Sole

We made some minor adjustments to this recipe: using thinly sliced mozzarella instead of grating it, so the cheese stays on top of the sole rather than falling off and forming clumps in the pan; cooking the garlic first instead of adding it later, to release more flavor; and adding a pinch of salt or, for those on a low-salt diet, some lemon juice, to boost the flavor of the stuffing. Serve hot.

Adapted from “Keep the Beat: Heart Healthy Recipes” (see accompanying “Sources” article).

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 pound small white mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

1/2 pound fresh spinach, washed, stemmed and chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt or 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

4 sole fillets or other white fish (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

2 tablespoons sherry

4 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using nonstick spray oil, lightly grease a baking dish large enough to hold all the fish.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and stir, cooking about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and continue cooking for about 1 minute or until it is barely wilted.

Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the cooking juices from the vegetable mixture into the prepared baking dish, leaving the vegetables in the pan. Add the oregano and a pinch of salt or the lemon juice, if using, and stir to combine.

In the center of each fillet, place one-quarter of the vegetable mixture. Wrap each fillet around the mixture and place it seam-side down in the prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle the fillets with sherry, then place the mozzarella slices on top. Bake until the fish flakes easily and the cheese has browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 173 calories, 6 grams fat (3 grams saturated, 31 percent fat calories) 22 grams protein, 6 grams carbohydrates, 90 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 408 milligrams sodium.

Barbecued Chicken, Spicy Southern Style

Cayenne pepper gives this sauce some heat, and despite the honey and molasses, it’s not overly sweet. We thought this tasted very good, but there wasn’t enough meat for 6 traditional servings, so we’ve changed it to use boneless chicken pieces and adjusted the cooking time. Even so, this recipe yields 3-ounce portions of cooked chicken, which meets the government standard but might seem skimpy.

Adapted from “Keep the Beat: Heart Healthy Recipes.”

5 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon ketchup

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon molasses

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

4 teaspoons white vinegar

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon grated ginger root

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts

In a small pan over medium-low heat, combine all ingredients except the chicken and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Wash chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken on a large platter and coat evenly with half the sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat broiler. Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil and place the chicken on the pan. Broil 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees and spoon the remaining sauce over the chicken. Cover and continue baking for 10 minutes. Remove thighs; bake breasts 10 more minutes. Serve hot or cold.

Yield: 6 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 107 calories, 2 grams fat (no saturated, fat, 17 percent fat calories), 15 grams protein, 6 grams carbohydrate, 48 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 65 milligrams sodium.

Delicious Oven French Fries

Believe it or not, these spices will make you temporarily forget about deep-fried potatoes. The batch we made, while flavorful, was softer than traditional french fries, so we’re suggesting mixing the vegetable oil with the spices to evenly coat the fries, rather than brushing the oil on one side after they are put in the pan. Also, many of the fries we made stuck to the pan; set the pan on the lowest rack of the oven so that doesn’t happen to yours.

Adapted from “Keep the Beat: Heart Healthy Recipes.”

4 large russet potatoes (about 2 pounds), scrubbed

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon dried hot pepper flakes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Have ready a large bowl with ice water.

Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, then into 1/2 -inch strips. Under cool running water, rinse the potatoes to remove starch, then place them in the ice-water bath. Let sit for 30 minutes to thoroughly chill the potatoes; if making ahead, cover and refrigerate.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a resealable plastic bag.

Place an oven rack on the lowest position and preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

Remove potatoes from the ice-water bath and pat them dry with paper towels. Place the potatoes in the bag with the spices and oil and shake to coat evenly. Spread the potatoes in a single layer on a nonstick rimmed baking sheet.

Cover the sheet with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking, turning the fries occasionally until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Serve hot.

Yield: 5 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 160 calories, 3 grams fat (no saturated fat, 17 percent fat calories) 5 grams protein, 29 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, no dietary fiber, 122 milligrams sodium.

Smothered Greens

What seems like a voluminous amount of greens cooks down quickly. The turkey, which replaces the traditional pork fat, adds a surprising smokiness, and the taste of cloves is assertive. Our only tweak to this is to suggest a sprinkling of salt, if your diet permits.

Adapted from “Keep the Beat: Heart Healthy Recipes.”

2 pounds greens (about 18 cups packed; may use mustard, turnip, collard greens or kale, or a mixture)

3 cups water

1 tablespoon chopped red chili peppers (may substitute with a few drops of hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 scallion, chopped (both white and green parts)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 pound skinless smoked turkey breast, roughly chopped

Salt (optional)

Wash the greens thoroughly in cool water, making sure to get rid of any sand or grit. Remove and discard the stems, and dry the greens slightly with paper towels. Tear the greens into bite-size pieces and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large pot over high heat, bring the water to a boil and add the remaining ingredients. Once the mixture has come to a boil, add the greens. Stir to incorporate the seasonings and reduce the volume of greens, about 1 minute.

Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, 20 to 30 minutes, or until the greens are tender. Add salt, if desired, to taste. Before serving, discard the garlic, if desired.

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving (based on 5): 87 calories, 1 gram fat (no saturated fat, 10 percent fat calories), 8 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 7 grams dietary fiber, 287 milligrams sodium.