The mouth-watering search for Utah’s healthiest and tastiest recipes for the “Heart-Healthiest 2010” contest ended in the kitchen of Angie Struhs of West Jordan. Struhs took the grand prize for her Avocado Lime Salsa, which she’ll whip up live on a local television morning show Friday, June 18.

Struhs was one of more than 60 people across the state who submitted their favorite recipes for the first-ever “Heart-Healthiest 2010” contest, put on by the Utah Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program (HDSPP) and the American Heart Association (AHA).

The public was asked to submit their recipes on the contest's Facebook page, Facebook.com/heart2010. The winning recipes were chosen not only for taste, but also for their emphasis on using the key ingredients of a healthy diet, including fruits, vegetables and whole grains, lean meats, and little or no saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt and added sugars.

“We wanted this contest to be a fun way to bring awareness to preventing heart disease and stroke through diet,” said Tania Charette, HDSPP Media Coordinator. “When you have a great, healthy recipe, eating well is easy. We were excited that so many Utahns got involved.”

The “Heart-Healthiest 2010” contest began in February before Valentine’s Day and ran until the end of May, Stroke Awareness Month. A “Healthful Recipe of the Week” was selected each week. Those winners received a Papa Murphy’s gift certificate for a free deLITE pizza and inclusion for the grand prize selection.

The contest culminated with five overall winners who each received a $50 gift card from Whole Foods, three Papa Murphy’s deLITE pizza coupons and a copy of the “Heart-Healthiest 2010” recipe book featuring all the submitted recipes.

Runners-up were: Maria Lichty Dixon of Salt Lake City for her Sweet Potato, Apple and Spinach Salad; Sarah Robinson of Salt Lake City for her Apricot Breakfast Bread; Emily Anderson of Logan for her Hoisin Chicken and Rice Bowls; and Jamie Cox Harline of Cedar City for her Merengue Shrimp Salad.

Recipes from the “Heart-Healthiest 2010” contest will be available on HDSPP’s website www.hearthighway.org and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/heart2010

For more information about HDSPP, visit www.hearthighway.org or call 1-866-88-STROKE.

# # #