Food Is Not The Enemy.

5 Nov

Please go and read this link, then come on back: http://www.healthzone.ca/health/dietfitness/diet/article/885393–wanna-lose-weight-don-t-diet

This is one of the few times I’ve come across a health article that DIDN’T preach eating specific types of food for weight loss. I have long been a proponent of healthy eating, not diets. As far as I’m concerned, diets set you up to fail and some remove most personal responsibility. The moment you stop eating according to a calorie-restrictive diet, you gain weight. Sometimes more weight than you initially lost. I am all for a system, a lifestyle change, that is actually achievable for the average person. How many people do you know that eat macrobiotically? Gwynnie and Madonna. Excellent. Just your average megastars.

There is a plethora of testimonials and evidence that those who diet often gain the weight back when they cease the diet. To me the problem is that it’s strictly a temporary measure, not a lifelong plan. Specifically because one chooses to eat only certain foods for a short- or long-term goal, one is almost bound to fail at keeping the weight off.  I don’t mean to sound sanctimonious but diets almost always fail. They fail because most diets are based on full-scale deprivation: you can’t have red meat and/or carbs and/or sugar. Take your pick.  I’m hardly saying that all anyone should eat is sugar and red meat: what I’m saying is that eating in a healthy way shouldn’t be so exclusive.

What the woman in the article above has done, I think, is fantastic. She chose one “unhealthy” thing – just one – to stop eating. She didn’t deprive herself of the rest of the foods that most health experts would agree are not healthy. A month later, after seeing positive results that were achieved relatively easily, she tried something else. Then she added in exercise. And what did she see? Success. She felt better by implementing a lifestyle change*  on her own terms, at her own speed. She didn’t deprive herself of an entire food group.

Most weight loss clinics and plans make me a little crazy. OK. A lot crazy. I am certainly no angel when it comes to maintaining a perfectly healthy diet: I love cheese, alcohol, bacon and sugar. (If I can get them all in one meal, I am a happy, bloated camper.) However, I also feel groggy and less energetic when I don’t get my fruits and veggies. I am fortunate enough to be able to consume most of the food I love, having only a lack-of-gallbladder to consider when it comes to diet. (So, McD’s ain’t never gon’ happen, but I don’t need to avoid gluten or lactose.) I also am fortunate to have an exercise partner and a supportive husband who offers to bring home more fruit and less chocolate and go for walks after dinner when I feel like I’m at the high end of what my weight-spectrum. But I defy anyone to tell me that if I eat nothing but meat or grapefruit or soup I will have lasting, positive results.

I’m rambling. I know. But this stuff really hits a nerve with me. I mean, even shows like Bulging Brides and Last 10 Pounds don’t advocate crash diets or food group deprivation. Yes, the people on the show go on fairly low-calorie diets, but they’re also trying to lose a specific amount of  weight in a very short time frame. They preach healthy habits.

So, please. Remember: balance is your friend. Eat your veggies and get your Omega 3’s. Eat a bowl of sour cream and onion chips while lying on the couch when it’s crappy outside. Have an apple at breakfast and maybe some fish during the week. Go for a bike ride or a swim. Enjoy that glass of wine at dinner. If you’re concerned about your food intake, I suggest keeping a food diary to see what you’re actually consuming during a week. You might be surprised at what you find.

But for goodness sake: be reasonable.

*I really, really hate that term. Can we please come up with something aside from  “lifestyle change?” It’s a little too close to “synergy” or “let’s parking lot that idea.” Blech.

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Tropical Salad

1 Nov

Pretty straightforward, but tropically-inspired goodness doesn’t need to be complicated! Goes really well with most mains, especially tilapia or salmon.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 mango, diced
1 pineapple, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/2 red onion, diced finely
1/4 c cilantro
2 tb olive oil
1 lime/lemon, juiced

Directions
1. Add all of these ingredients into a large bowl.
2. Eat…but share with others!

Side note: if you can get your hands on a papaya or some jicama, both would work well in this dish, too.

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Cilantro-Chipotle Tilapia

1 Nov

Super easy and quick! (OK…most tilapia recipes are easy & quick, which is why I keep buying it…)

Serves 2.

Ingredients

2 tilapia filets
2 tb extra virgin olive oil
1 chipotle in adobo, diced (plus some of the sauce)
1 c cilantro leaves, chopped
1 tb water
1 ts cumin
1/2 ts each salt & pepper

Directions

1. Puree the chipotle, adobo sauce, cilantro, water, olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste. Add more liquid if it’s not thin enough.
2. Crank up the broiler, with the oven rack about 4 inches from the heat.
3. On a foil-lined pan, pour half of the marinade over the tilapia. Flip the fish over carefully and pour the rest of the marinade.
4. Broil six to nine minutes, depending on the thickness of the filets. (You’re better to go shorter than longer in this case. Overcooked fish…yuck.)
5. Serve with Tropical Salad and rice.

Side note: the tilapia goes beautifully with coconut rice with a little cilantro stirred in at the end of the cooking process.

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He’s baaaaaaaaaack…

21 Oct

The Mexican food chain, Chipotle, is trying to set itself apart – and contribute to awareness of an important issue – by offering one of their most popular options, the burrito, at a significantly reduced price. The catch? You’ve got to come in on Hallowe’en dressed as, “a horrifying processed food product.” Check out their site: http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/fan-antics/boorito/boorito.aspx

Apparently they do this sort of promotion every year, but in the past they’ve asked people to come dressed as their *favourite* item on the menu. What brought this change about? This year they are working with Jamie Oliver and his “Food Revolution” program to promote healthier eating in North America. I have heard good things about the Chipotle franchise though I’ve never actually tried it. I’ve surfed through their website and it certainly appears that they are committed to providing food – not food-like products that only bear a passing resemblance to the animal from which it came.

It seems as though Oliver has found a way around looking sanctimonious in the eyes of Americans: all it took was a funny costume! If only he’d thought of that on his last adventure through the States which rattled a LOT of cages, especially in the blogosphere.  Teaming up with a popular fast food place that uses…y’know…actual food? Good plan. Exposing people’s food ignorance on national television? Not so much. I still stand by my belief that Oliver has excellent intentions, fame-whoring aside. He is using his celebrity to bring attention to the fact that the generation behind us is maddeningly – and frighteningly – unhealthy. He’s trying to help solve this problem and, evidently, has no qualms about looking like a doofus in the process. I like the “whatever works” attitude he’s adopted and this costume plan is similar to his demonstration for children in England, where he presented and blended up the ingredients of a chicken nugget. It was re-volt-ing. Nothing like a little dose of reality that even children can understand.

What do you think, readers? Do you think Oliver should hop back across the pond and keep to himself? Does teaming up with a fast food franchise decrease his credibility or is it a good idea to get the public’s attention?

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Pork Tenderloin in Coconut-Chile Sauce

18 Oct

Adapted from Tyler Florence’s recipe, this dish is warming, comforting, brightly-flavoured and is destined for heavy rotation in our kitchen! It does have a few steps, but they’re not difficult. Timing is key, as always, but I think I’ve got it worked out! I’ve included pictures of the individual components of this three-parter. Click to see them enlarged.

Serves 2.

Ingredients

Pork
1 1lb pork tenderloin
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lime, juice
salt & pepper

Coconut-Chile Sauce
2 tb extra virgin olive oil
1″ ginger, grated
2 garlic, minced
1 chile (Bird, jalapeno, whatever ya like), diced
1/4 c cilantro stems
14 oz coconut milk
1 ts sugar
1 lime, juiced
1 tb fish sauce
1 dash hot sauce, optional
salt & pepper

Tomato & Coconut Salad
1 c shredded coconut
2 c tomatoes, chopped
1/2 sweet pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 c cilantro (leaves)
1/4 c mint leaves
dash of olive oil
1/2 lime, juiced
salt & pepper


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Place the pork on a platter and pour over the olive oil, lime juice & sprinkle with salt & pepper on all sides. Marinate for 10-15 minutes.
3. Toss the pork in the oven for roughly 35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165-170, depending on how well you like your pork cooked. Rest for 10 minutes.
4. In the meantime, heat up the olive oil at medium in a medium sauce pan.  Add garlic, ginger, chile and cilantro stems. Cook 3 minutes.
5. Add the coconut milk and sugar, simmering for another 5 minutes.
6. Squeeze in the lime juice and add the fish sauce, hot sauce, and a dash of salt & pepper. Adjust to taste. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until the pork is done.
7. In a medium bowl, add tomatoes, shredded coconut,  sweet pepper, red onion, chile, cilantro leaves, mint, olive oil, salt & pepper and lime juice. Adjust according to taste.
8.  Slice pork into medallions and serve over rice. Pour the sauce over the pork and top with coconut & tomato salad.

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Foolproof Turkey

13 Oct

(Because no one wants to rendered foolish by a fowl!)

As I talked about in an older post, I am now in charge of the bulk of Thanksgiving dinner in our family. I am completely okay with this: it’s fun for me and usually turns out really well. I am bound and determined to ensure that I don’t dry out the turkey breast as no one wants to eat sawdust. On the other hand, I don’t want to undercook the bird and possibly give people food poisoning. (I know, I know. I’m too kind.)

So what follows below is how I made the Main Event this year. It came out tasty, moist and with lots of flavour and I threw it together in about 20 minutes. My rule for turkey is 20 minutes per pound, assuming the bird is unstuffed.

Serves 5.

Directions
10lb fresh turkey
5 celery stalks, roughly chopped
5 carrots, peeled & chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 lemon, roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves, whole
1/4 parsley stalks
3tb butter at room temp
1 tb each salt & pepper
1 ts cumin
1 ts paprika

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Arrange the celery, carrots, onions, lemon and 2 cloves of garlic in the bottom of a roasting pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper.
3. Wash and dry the turkey, removing the neck & giblets.*
4.  Place the turkey on top of the veggies in the roasting pan.  Smear with the butter and season with salt, pepper, cumin & paprika.
5. Stuff the turkey with the other half of the lemon, parsley stalks & garlic cloves. Wrap the ends of the wings in tin foil as they may burn.
6. Place in the oven, uncovered. After 15 minutes, lower the temp to 325. Baste every 30 minutes until the bird is done, roughly 3.5 hours, or when the internal temperature reaches 175-180 degrees.
7. Remove from the oven and let sit for 25-30 minutes.

*7a . If you’re making gravy, drain the juices from the bottom of the pan into a sauce pan. Heat and add a little bit of flour at a time til you reach the desired consistency. You can also add the giblets to the gravy if you wish.

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Huevos Diablos

8 Oct

Translated as “devil eggs” this breakfast dish is not to be missed.  It’s our go-to breakfast dish whether just for ourselves or for guests. Easy, not too many ingredients, incredibly flavourful. Also, an excellent hangover brekkie. 🙂

Eggs poached in salsa (you can choose your level of heat), served on a crispy tortilla with avocado, topped with cheese, cilantro and green onion. Satisfying, simple & scrumptious!!

Serves 2.

Ingredients

4 eggs
2 cups salsa
4 tostadas
1 avocado, sliced
1 1/2 c cheese (cheddar, marble, cotilla, feta will all work), shredded
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
2 green onions, chopped

Directions

1. Pour the salsa into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer at medium-low heat.
2. Carefully crack the eggs into the salsa & poach the eggs until the whites are cooked, approximately 3-5 minutes.
3. In the meantime, heat the tostadas in the oven/microwave oven. They burn quickly, so keep an eye on them. 20 seconds in the toaster oven usually does it.
4. Place two tostadas on each plate. Cover with the avocado slices.
5. Gently remove the eggs from the salsa and place over the avocado slices. (A slotted spoon will work, as will a wide spatula.) Pour the salsa over the eggs.
6. Sprinkle with the cheese, then cilantro & green onion.


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Picnic!

5 Oct

Picnics are always, always fun. For the first couple of years that J & I dated,  we planned picnics on several different occasions, only for the weather to take a turn for the worse. Finally, we decided that it didn’t necessarily need to be outside: we could have a perfectly good picnic indoors. In December. Off to the market we went, picking up all sorts of goodies. We spread out a blanket on the floor, arranged the various meats, cheeses, fruit, bread & infused olive oil that J created on the stove. We tucked in to a helluva good meal and have continued this tradition ever since.

For our anniversary this week, we decided this would be an excellent dinner. We had corned beef, sliced roast beef & Calabrese salami; St. Agur blue cheese, double-creme brie & jalapeno havarti; apples & grapes; a raisin & walnut ciabatta; and a garlic/basil/chili flake-infused olive oil that we kept warm with a little chocolate fondue pot.

It’s such a fun way to eat, experimenting with different flavour combinations and textures. The apple & brie were especially delicious, as was the bread-blue cheese-salami combo. Difficult to go wrong, though, when you’ve good ingredients, good wine and good company!

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Inspiration: My Husband

29 Sep

In honour of our second wedding anniversary that’s just around the corner, this post is dedicated to J, the best husband I could possibly ask for.

There are a number of reasons that I got into the kitchen, but chiefly among them is J. He is most definitely the catalyst. What started as an, “Ohmigod. What can I make for this guy that’s not Chunky Soup?” has morphed into a consuming passion. For that, I have my husband to thank.

J can cook anything. Of this, I am entirely convinced. He has a way around the kitchen that is at ease. He is a master at looking in the fridge, assessing what he has and creating something totally delicious. He’s also a very patient teacher: it took at least six months to convince me to use something larger than a steak knife to do the prep work for dinner, but he never pushed me or made fun of me. He knew I’d come into it on my own and hey, in the meantime, we were having a hell of a good time cookin’ up whatever came to mind.  So not only can he cook anything, he gives you the confidence and the tools (sometimes literally) to do the same.

We made a lot of pasta in those early days, but entrees were not the only thing in J’s repertoire. For years, I heard about his cheesecake-making abilities. See, I love cheesecake. Way more than I should. And when said cheesecake was delivered I…well…I ate more than my fair share. He was not exaggerating: that cheesecake was freaking great. In addition to the so-good-oh-my-god-you-need-to-make-that-weekly desserts, he has also mastered omelets (tricky, since I’m really picky about my eggs), tortillas from scratch, powder buns (they’re like Belizean scones with nutmeg & raisins), any pasta dish you can throw at him and anything for the barbecue. Or perhaps you’d like chicken en papillote? Perfectly grilled steak? Juicy, roasted halibut? Done, done and done.

Then there’s the cornbread. It is THE best cornbread I’ve ever had, bar none. It’s got that beautiful, crispy crust on the outside from the hot, buttered cast iron pan. It’s best screamingly hot out of the oven, filled with cheese, green onion, creamed corn and a few other things that make it in there. We have been known to devour half a pan in one sitting. This stuff is evil and may actually be better than his cheesecake. Maybe. I’ll have to keep sampling both – for years and years – to come to a definitive conclusion.

The best part of all this is sharing and enjoying his enthusiasm for food. It’s infectious. He’s up for trying just about anything and will encourage you to do the same. This is a big reason why I’ve gone from chicken or pasta dishes only when dining out to the occasional veal cheeks, alligator and oysters.

Needless to say, I plan to eat well for the rest of my life. Some of this food I plan to have made for me by chefs; some I will cook myself. But the meals I look forward to most are those cooked by a man who loves to cook, who puts his heart into his food and who inspires others to do the same. Lucky me!

(Mostly)Chinese Chicken Salad

27 Sep

Always on the hunt for new and interesting ways to make salad more than just lettuce. This recipe is a Bobby Flay creation, but I’m renaming it. He calls it “Chinese” but the chipotle puree tells me otherwise. I also added some diced red pepper to the salad, as it was in the fridge and I figured it couldn’t be bad in there!

I poached four chicken thighs in water with peppercorns & a dried ancho chili that I happened to have in my cupboard. (I poached them because I wanted that shredded texture that works best with poached chicken, as opposed to grilling or baking.) They took about 25 minutes in barely-boiling liquid. I then removed the skin and bones, shredding the rest with two forks. Delish. Leftover chicken from a roast would also work really well.

Serves 2-4.

Ingredients

1/4 c rice wine vinegar
2 tb smooth peanut butter
1 tb ginger, grated
2 ts chipotle puree
1 tb soy sauce
1 tb honey
2 ts sesame oil
1/3 c canola oil
1/2 Napa cabbage (or whichever cabbage you prefer)
1/2 head Romaine (or…y’know…whatever you’ve got!)
2 carrots, shredded
1 handful snow peas
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
2 c chicken, shredded
1/2 c peanuts & mint, julienned

Directions

1. If you have not cooked chicken yet, fill a medium-large pot with water or stock. Bring to a boil and add in your chicken. Cook 25-30 minutes at a low boil.
2. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, peanut butter, chipotle puree, soy, honey, sesame oil & canola oil. Whisk until smooth.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, lettuce, carrots, snow peas, cilantro and green onion.
4. Toss the dressing into the salad and plate on large dishes. Add the chicken.
5. Top with peanuts & mint.

*If you poach the chicken, keep the broth that’s left. Skim the fat, let it cool and reuse for soups. If you’re not going to use it right away, toss the broth in the freezer. It’ll keep for quite a while.

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