(Family Features) Tantalizing taste buds with the latest in trendy foods can be a fun way to bring the whole family to the table for meals together. Combining familiar flavors with a new preparation method, for example, is one way to add flair to dinners at home.

An innovative sushi-style concept, "beefshi" features convenient beef products like pastrami, roast beef, summer sausage, hot dogs, corned beef or bologna prepared in rolls with rice and vegetables. Because recipes like Reuben Roll, Taco Maki, New York Deli Roll and Muffarolletta can be enjoyed individually as appetizers or grouped together for a full meal, these dishes can provide a variety of solutions from entertaining a crowd to simply feeding your family.

Find more information and recipes at beefshi.com

Reuben Roll

Recipe courtesy of the North American Meat Institute on behalf of the Beef Checkoff
Yield: 2 rolls (16 pieces)

Hand Vinegar:

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

Rolls:

• 12 thin slices pastrami
• 3 cups sushi rice
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 2 sheets nori
• 4 thin slices Swiss cheese, cut into slivers
• 1 1/4 cups sauerkraut, rinsed, drained and squeezed dry
• Russian dressing

1. To make hand vinegar: In small bowl, stir water and rice vinegar.
2. To make rolls: Lay sushi mat on clean surface and cover with plastic wrap. Lay six slices pastrami on mat lengthwise. Moisten hands with hand vinegar and shake off excess. Spread 1 1/2 cups rice across pastrami, leaving 1 inch empty at farthest end. Sprinkle rice with caraway seeds. Turn nori over so rice side is down.
3. Cover half the pastrami crosswise with two slices cheese and half the sauerkraut.
4. Securing meat and cheese with fingers, use thumbs to push end of mat up and over filling until edge of nori meets rice on opposite side. Press firmly on roll.
5. Lift top of mat and roll firmly until tight and round. Squeeze gently to shape. Press ends in carefully to secure loose rice. Remove mat and set roll aside.
6. Repeat to make second roll.
7. Use thin, sharp knife to cut each roll into eight slices. Arrange on sushi platter and serve with Russian dressing.

New York Deli Roll

Recipe courtesy of the North American Meat Institute on behalf of the Beef Checkoff
Yield: 2 rolls (16 pieces)

Hand Vinegar:

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

Futomaki:

• 2 sheets nori
• 3 cups sushi rice
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 6 thin slices corned beef
• 4 teaspoons horseradish, well-drained
• 4 thin slices Swiss cheese, sliced into thin sticks
• Dijon mustard

1. To make hand vinegar: In small bowl, stir water and rice vinegar.
2. To make futomaki: Lay sushi mat on clean surface and cover with plastic wrap. Place one nori sheet on mat, shiny-side down. Moisten hands with hand vinegar and shake off excess. Spread 1 1/2 cups rice across nori. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon caraway seeds. Turn nori over so rice side is down.
3. Cover half the rice crosswise with three slices corned beef. Spread corned beef with 2 teaspoons horseradish. Cover corned beef with two slices cheese.
4. Securing meat and cheese with fingers, use thumbs to push end of mat up and over filling until edge of nori meets rice on opposite side. Press firmly on roll.
5. Lift top of mat and roll firmly until tight and round. Squeeze gently to shape roll. Press ends in carefully to secure loose rice. Remove mat and set roll aside.
6. Repeat to make second roll.
7. Use thin, sharp knife to cut each roll into eight slices. Arrange on sushi platter and serve with Dijon mustard.

Taco Maki

Recipe courtesy of the North American Meat Institute on behalf of the Beef Checkoff
Yield: 2 rolls (16 pieces)

Hand Vinegar:

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

Maki:

• 2 sheets nori
• 4 cups sushi rice
• 4 ounces finely shredded spicy beef jerky
• 16 cilantro sprigs
• 1/2 cup slivered radishes
• 64 tortilla strips
• queso fresco crumbles
• pico de gallo

1. To make hand vinegar: In small bowl, stir water and rice vinegar.
2. To make maki: Lay sushi mat on clean surface. Moisten hands with hand vinegar and shake off excess. Place one nori sheet on mat, shiny-side down. Spread 2 cups rice across nori, leaving 1 inch empty at farthest end.
3. Lay 2 ounces jerky, 8 cilantro sprigs and 1/4 cup radishes crosswise along rice, covering half the surface closest to you.
4. Securing jerky, cilantro and radishes with fingers, use thumbs to push end of mat up and over filling until edge of nori meets rice on opposite side. Press firmly on roll.
5. Lift top of mat and roll firmly until tight and round. Squeeze gently to shape roll. Press ends in carefully to secure loose rice. Remove mat and set roll aside.
6. Repeat to make second roll.
7. Use thin, sharp knife to cut each roll into eight slices. Arrange on sushi platter. Stand four tortilla strips upright in center of each roll then sprinkle with queso fresco. Serve with pico de gallo.

Muffarolletta

Recipe courtesy of the North American Meat Institute on behalf of the Beef Checkoff
Yield: 2 rolls (16 pieces)

Hand Vinegar:

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

Rice:

• 1/2 cup mixed olives, patted dry and finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons capers, patted dry and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups sushi rice
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Rolls:

• 8 thin slices beef salami
• 3 thin slices part-skim mozzarella, cut into sticks
• 3 thin slices provolone, cut into sticks
• 1/4 cup chopped celery leaves

• toasted sesame seeds
• shaved celery

1. To make hand vinegar: In small bowl, stir water and rice vinegar.
2. To make rice: In small bowl, mix olives, capers, garlic and rice; season with pepper, to taste.
3. To make rolls: Lay sushi mat on clean surface and cover with plastic wrap. Lay four slices salami on mat, overlapping by about 1/2 inch, to create surface 7 inches wide and 6 inches deep.
   Moisten hands with hand vinegar and shake off excess. Cover salami with 1 1/2 cups sushi rice, leaving 1 inch empty at farthest end.
4. Arrange half of each cheese along center of rice crosswise, covering half of rice closest to you. Sprinkle cheese with 1/8 cup celery leaves.
5. Securing cheese with fingers, use thumbs to push end of mat up and over filling until one edge of rice meets opposite side. Press firmly on roll.
6. Lift top of mat and roll firmly until tight and round. Squeeze gently to shape roll. Press ends in carefully to secure loose rice. Remove mat, peel off plastic and set roll aside.
7. Repeat to make second roll.
8. Slice each roll into eight rounds, arrange on sushi platter and sprinkle each slice with sesame seeds. Serve with shaved celery.

(Family Features) Fad diets come and go, and as many Americans find, so do the pounds they lose. Most experts agree that eliminating, or drastically reducing, any of the major foods groups from your diet can be detrimental to your health and prevent you from achieving long-term healthy eating goals.

Each of the food groups plays a distinct role in fueling your body and providing it with the vitamins and nutrients it needs. Attempt a well-rounded approach to eating, such as one that includes more nutritious choices for popular dishes like sandwiches. In general, pay attention to the variety, amount and nutrition of the foods you consume.

Consider these ideas for creating a balanced diet and a nutritious sandwich to help ensure you get enough of each food group:

Start from the Outside
There are two groups of grains: whole grains and refined grains. Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel, while refined grains have been milled for a finer texture and are required to be enriched per government mandate to help the population make up for nutrient shortfalls. Grains should account for about one quarter of each meal, but at least half of them should be whole grains - a fact that may surprise some people.

"Many health professionals mistakenly encourage consumers to skip the bread when trying to improve diets," said Yanni Papanikolaou from Nutrition Strategies Inc., who completed a study to assess the energy and nutrients contributed from sandwiches in diets of children and adolescents. "Americans need to think twice before cutting bread from their diets. In fact, bread packs more of a nutrient punch than a caloric one."

The ingredients inside a sandwich, not the bread itself, are the most significant drivers of calories, fat and sodium, according to Papanikolaou's research. A separate study published in the journal "Nutrients" shows grain foods contribute less than 15 percent of all calories in the total diet, while delivering greater than 20 percent of three shortfall nutrients - dietary fiber, folate and iron - and greater than 10 percent of calcium, magnesium and vitamin A.

Consumers can significantly and positively impact their caloric, fat and sodium intake by making more deliberate decisions about sandwich ingredients, including choosing either whole-grain or enriched-grain bread.

Learn how grains support a healthy diet at GrainFoodsFoundation.org

Rethink the Ingredients
Making more nutritious choices with sandwiches and positively impacting your consumption of calories, fat and sodium is oftentimes a matter of changing the way you stack ingredients between the bread. Consider this sample sandwich: two slices of whole-grain or enriched bread, 2-3 slices of lunchmeat, two slices of cheese, a few spinach or lettuce leaves and a slice of tomato.

Contrary to popular belief, research shows that sandwich eaters who choose either whole- or enriched-grain bread can consume less calories, fat and sodium compared to the typical sandwich consumed in the American diet. This demonstrates the need to focus on the ingredients between the bread for a better (more healthful) sandwich.

Try a different take on a lunchtime favorite by adding spicy horseradish to this Roast Beef and Arugula Sandwich, or make packing a lunch even simpler with this Ultra-Thin Pastrami Sandwich Lunchbox.

Protein
According to the USDA, most Americans get about the right amount of protein in their diets, but could do better at choosing leaner options and adding more variety to their menus.

Incorporating more variety doesn't have to mean sacrificing convenience. For example, while prepared meats like deli meats, hot dogs and jerky are sometimes a target of critics, numerous studies and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans affirm they can be part of a healthy, balanced diet. Prepared beef products provide a convenient source of protein, vitamins and minerals. Because most prepared meats are pre-cooked, they offer consumers easy, on-the-go access to the nutrient density in meat.

The prepared meats category is diverse and offers choices to meet nutrition needs, tastes, budgets and personal preferences. Thousands of products are available in the meat case, including low- and reduced-sodium products, low- and reduced-fat products, American Heart Association-certified, organic, Kosher grass-fed options and more. 

Learn more about the nutrition benefits of meat at meatpoultrynutrition.org

Roast Beef and Arugula Sandwich

Recipe courtesy of the Grain Foods Foundation
Prep time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2

• 1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons horseradish
• 4 slices whole-wheat bread
• 4 slices tomato
• 4 ounces lean roast beef, thinly sliced
• 1 cup arugula or wild greens

1. Spread mayonnaise and horseradish evenly over two bread slices.
2. Layer tomato, roast beef and arugula on top of mayonnaise and horseradish. Top with remaining bread slices.

Ultra-Thin Pastrami Sandwich Lunchbox

Recipe courtesy of the North American Meat Institute
Servings: 1

• 2 slices thin whole-wheat sandwich bread
• 2 tablespoons low-fat garden vegetable cream cheese
• 1 ounce ultra-thin pastrami
• 1 ounce unsalted pretzels
• 1 apple
• 1 squeezable low-fat yogurt
• 1 water bottle (8 fluid ounces)

1. Using knife, spread bread slices with cream cheese. Layer pastrami on bottom slice and top with second slice.
2. Fill lunchbox with sandwich, pretzels, apple, yogurt and water bottle.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images (main image)

Source:

North American Meat Institute
Grain Foods Foundation