1 whole garlic bulb, unpeeled



1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon water

2 shallots, minced

I tablespoon olive oil

½ cup sliced shiitake or other available mushrooms

3 Italian tomatoes, diced

1/8teaspoon black pepper

¾ cup stock or white wine

juice of 1 lemon

2 cloves garlic, crushed

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

4 halibut steaks (6 ounces each)

Roast the garlic bulb at 400°F for 10 to 15 minutes. Break the bulb into cloves. Peel three of the cloves, chop, and place in a medium bowl. (Reserve the remainder for another use.) Add the vinegar, water, and shallots. Whisk in the oil. Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, and pepper. Set aside. In a large pot, combine the stock or wine, lemon juice, crushed garlic, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Place the halibut on a steamer rack in the pan. Cover and steam for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan. (Reserve the steaming liquid for another use.) Divide vegetables among four dinner plates. Top with halibut steaks.

*

Cocoa reduces symptoms of lactose intolerance. That means some of the people who are lactose intolerant can drink chocolate milk with fewer unpleasant symptoms, such as bloating and cramping.

*

The cocoa in chocolate milk does not bind calcium, as once thought, so you can enjoy your chocolate treat and still reap the full benefit of the calcium.

*

It's not true that all the alcohol used in cooking evaporates. In tests sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 5 to 85 percent of the alcohol was retained in food after heating.

*

Canola oil contains a kind of fatty acid that's converted in the body to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which is a type of health-promoting fat abundant in certain fish oils.

*

Ounce for ounce, cranberries have twice as much total dietary fiber as apples-and black currants contain four times as much.

*

Tabbouleh contains three times as much fiber per serving as a tossed green salad.

*

Cooked brussels sprouts, corn, zucchini, pintos, lima beans, raw cauliflower, and fresh currants all have as much cholesterol lowering soluble fiber per! cup as does cooked oatmeal.

*

Ounce for ounce, kale contains more bioavailable calcium than the calcium champ itself, milk.

*

A potato has almost double the potassium of a banana.