February is American Heart Month and before the month comes to a close, we wanted to share with you a few kitchen tips and recipes that can help keep your blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check. 

Follow these heart-healthy cooking and eating tips, courtesy of the American Heart Association, and incorporate them into your favorite Asian meals, starting with the five recipes below.

• Strive for a diet that includes at least four and a half cups of fruits and vegetables and three 1-ounce servings of whole grains per day. Shoot for two servings of fish and four servings of nuts, seeds, and legumes per week. Also limit sodium, added sugars, and processed meats.
• To save on fat, pick “choice” or “select” grades of beef instead of “prime” and go for cuts of red meat and pork labeled “loin” or “round.”
• With poultry, opt for the lean white meat (breasts) instead of fattier dark meat (legs and thighs).
• Avoid prepackaged seasoning mixes because they usually contain excess sodium. Instead, opt for fresh or dried herbs, hot pepper, vinegar, and citrus juices to enhance flavor.
• To cut down on cooking oil and butter, make stir-frying, roasting, grilling, broiling, baking, poaching, steaming, or sautéing in a nonstick pan your go-to cooking methods.
• When you do need a splash of oil, use those that are lowest in saturated fat, trans fats, and cholesterol. These include canola, corn, olive, safflower, sesame, soybean, and sunflower oils. 

Best Vegetable Stock Save big on sodium by making stock at home. This recipe can be made in advance and frozen until you’re ready to use it as a base for dishes like hot and sour soup or congee.

Japanese-Style Sardine Pasta  The oils in fatty fish, like sardines, increases levels of “good” cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart attack

Coriander-Crusted Salmon  This Indian-inspired dish is another easy, flavorful way to fill up on omega-3s.

Korean Five Grain Rice (Ogokbap)  Give white rice a health boost by adding fiber-rich beans and millet, a whole grain.

Iced Green Tea  Among its numerous health benefits, green and oolong teas, when consumed regularly, can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure.