Instructions: One healthful way to celebrate Chinese New Year is to adapt some low-fat traditions of Chinese cooking to tasty effect.

The Chinese Year of the Horse begins Tuesday (which is also Mardi Gras, but thats a horse of a different culture).

Easy Chinese sauce recipes can transform simple entrees into special-occasion dishes. The rich-tasting sauces, which can double as marinades, can be used with any steamed, broiled or grilled entree or vegetable.

Theres a high proportion of vegetables and rice and a comparatively small proportion of meat in the traditional Chinese diet, according to the institute.

"An Asian diet high in vegetables and fruits significantly reduces the incidence of many types of cancer, especially those of the breast and colon, which are much higher in the United States than in China," says Dr. Ritva Butrum of the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Chinese cooking often calls for high-temperature processes such as stir-frying or grilling. Scientists have found that cooking muscle meats, beef and other red meats, chicken or fish at high temperatures produces carcinogens - but they have also discovered that marinades offer protection against the formation of cancer-causing substances.

Chicken and red meats should be marinated several hours, turning several times during the process. Fish should be marinated up to two hours.

Discard marinades after precook usage. Mix a separate batch to use as sauces on entrees.

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