In The Kitchen With Dr. Miura

Christopher Miura, M.D., enjoys cooking. You’ll find him in his kitchen almost every day, experimenting with non-meat ingredients to create healthy, well-balanced meals for his family.

He is the founder of Mauna Kea Baking Co., which supplies artisan breads to local restaurants and stores. In addition, Miura is a Kaiser Permanente obstetrician/gynecologist who helps promote healthy, local food at Kaiser Permanente farmers markets across Oahu. Kaiser Permanente farmers markets are open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays at the Waipio clinic, Wednesdays at Moanalua Medical Center and Thursdays at the Honolulu clinic. Recipes, healthy eating class information and more also can be found on kp.org/recipes. Follow Kaiser Permanente Hawaii’s Twitter account at @KPHawaii for healthy recipes posted every other Friday.

This column is dedicated to this multifaceted and caring doctor!

Cherry tomatoes are thought to have originated in Peru and Northern Chile, and have been a favorite in the United States since the early 1900s.

The cherry tomato is low in fat and sodium and has no cholesterol. It’s also a good source of vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, magnesium, phosphorus and copper, and a great source of dietary fiber, vitamins A, C and K, potassium and manganese.

Dr. Miura graciously shares one of his favorite recipes with MidWeek readers.

CHERRY TOMATO AND BASIL PASTA

* 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 small red or yellow onion or a whole shallot, diced
* 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* maybe a dozen big basil leaves, julienned (stack them, roll them up the long way, then slice thinly)
* small handful of other fresh herbs, minced (optional)
* 8 ounces whole wheat pasta I like linguine
* salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta. In the nine-10 minutes it takes to cook dried pasta, sauté onion or shallot in the olive oil until softened. Add the garlic and pepper flakes. Sauté about a minute until the garlic is fragrant. Raise the heat and add the tomatoes. Heat through until the tomatoes break down a little and begin to bubble. Stir in the basil and optional herbs near the end of the cooking time. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce in the skillet. Serve and marvel at what you just created.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:

Calories: 294
Fat: 8 grams
Saturated Fat: 1 gram
Trans Fat: 0 grams
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams