Is being a foodie good for your weight?

Has anyone else notices a surge in slogan tees?

Sometimes clients come in and apologize. “It’s terrible, I just love food.” They’ll elaborate, “I enjoy restaurants and trying new foods.” I sit back waiting for the part they should be sorry for. Other times, in a session, I’ll talk about a recipe and clients will look at me surprised “wow, you really know about food.” Where did we all get this notion that being healthy or losing weight requires divorcing ourselves from food pleasure? I come bearing good news; nothing about Foodtraining or weight loss requires staying home eating undressed greens, sad yet skinny.

In many ways, I think my foodie clients do better. If you like a lot of foods, chances are you like a lot of healthy foods. Give me the fearless foodie over the picky eater any day. Foodies like flavor. I can get a foodie excited about a farm egg, oysters or the most delicious finishing salt. If anyone knows how to make healthy food exciting it’s the foodie.

But, yes there’s a but. I wish there was a way that life could involve daily cheese courses, free flowing cocktails (farm to bar movement anyone?) and loads of “freshly baked” everything but it can’t and shouldn’t. For most people you really cannot eat out every night, sample everything (trust me you don’t “have to”) and stay slim.

Amber Valetta, in a recent Allure interview, said that she loves great food (I believe her another misconception is that if you’re thin you must not) but that’s not what she eats day in and day out. Brown rice, quinoa and vegetables are staples for her. I like this way of looking at things. In a week perhaps there are some restaurant meals. There is a time for treats. But we also need those less exciting slightly Spartan options to balance it out. Maybe it’s my turn to apologize but I promise that even quinoa and vegetables with a miso dressing or harissa will be ok.

Do you consider yourself a foodie? Do you like that term? Do you think this is an asset or liability when it comes to weight?

Meet Harissa

I love condiments, particularly spicy condiments, so I’m wondering why it took so long for harissa and I to meet. Harissa is from North Africa and I’m from North America but since when, in 2013, does geography throw a wrench in our eating plans? While I’m all for local bounty, I also love coconut water, matcha and Himalayan salt. So it was probably just bad luck that harissa and I hadn’t crossed paths.

My first harissa spotting was at Le Pain Quotidien. I enjoyed what I tasted but their harissa is very thick, almost a paste. I was intrigued and ordered harissa from one of my favorite sites mouth.com.This was the Mina brand harrissa and I have to say I fell in love. I've since learned this harissa is widely available even sold at West Elm (a desk and some condiments anyone? weird).

I dipped veggies in harissa, added it to scrambled eggs, folded some into my sardine/avocado combo and used it on grilled chicken breasts. For every ingredient I tested harissa on, it passed with flying colors. I want to try this recipe for salmon, kale and harissa next.

As much as I love to cook, I’m not someone who feels you have to DIY for everything if someone else can make it better. I’d cop to laziness but it’s really, without getting too deep, about insecurity. Can mine be as good? With Harissa, I didn’t think so but because of this blog post I decided to try. I used this recipe.

On a 100-degree day I cranked up my oven to 500

Roasted my peppers

Diced my chilies (not the Thai chilies the recipe called for but long green hot peppers). Remember the chili pepper/metabolism connection?  I also used ground coriander versus seeds (it’s all I had).

blurry, spicy chilies and garlic

 Combined everything in the Vitamix (recipe says to do in 2 stages but needed the volume for Vitamix to work).  I spooned the blended harissa into a weck jar,  refrigerated it as directed and you know what? Just as good as Mina’s.

Have you already met harissa? Do you make it yourself? What do you use it for? What's your current favorite condiment?

Cooking Crew and Sensational Salad

Trio of salads, recipe for one below

Last Friday, I got together with my Cooking Crew. Three to four times a year we get together and take a cooking class. This time, the class was with Myra Kornfield, cooking instructor, chef and the author of one of my favorite cookbooks The Healthy Hedonist. Myra sent over some menu options in advance; we all knew we were in for a treat.

We cooked for four hours, made seven recipes that I know I will make again. However, my favorite part about cooking with friends are those little information nuggets you know will stick with you.

Do you "dashi" I do now, first time making what is basically a fish stock.

Check your soy sauce ingredients- two of the recipes we made had Asian lavors and Myra advised us to use shoyu which is better quality than typical soy sauce.  I use a wheat free tamari but know condiments are where lots of preservatives, coloring and sugar can sneak into our diets.  Be sure any soy product is organic as most soybeans are GM. And while we’re talking ingredients, never use “cooking wine”. Use a wine that’s leftover and passed its prime instead.

Ginger Experience

Do you know the “ginger smash”? Ginger is one of those things that can turn into a mess when prepping it. Myra showed us ginger root could be smashed much like you do a garlic clove. You peel garlic and then turn your knife with the blade horizontal and smash, after give a quick chop whenever ginger is called for.

Kale Secret

Kale Massage

How many times have you burned kale chips? I hear this complaint all the time from clients. Myra says to check kale chips every 5 minutes and pull them out as they get done. Kale cooks unevenly and if you wait for all of the pieces to be done some will burn.

No More Kosher Salt

I think I own every kind of salt white, pink, black you name it. I do fall back on kosher salt while cooking just because I’m familiar with it. Myra’s not a fan of kosher salt and uses Celtic or Himalayan for everything because of the taste and mineral content. Now I have to figure out what to do with the gigundo box of kosher salt, exfoliation perhaps?

A Kitchen Essential

I have a "lime" version of this. Myra points out you only really need the lemon as it fits both lemons and limes. 


This salad is delicious, I made it sans feta with the salmon dish (pictured above) last night.

Turkish Chopped Romaine Salad with Dill and Scallions

6 cups shredded romaine

¾ cup chopped dill

½ cup thinly sliced scallions

Salt *see above and freshly ground black pepper

1 clove minced garlic

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Sprinkling feta cheese, optional

In a large bowl mix lettuce, dill and scallions (this can be done in advance and kept). Whisk garlic, lemon juice and olive oil together or shake in a small jar. Right before serving sprinkle greens liberally with salt and pepper, add dressing to greens and toss together. You'll use less salt if you salt the greens versus adding it to the dressing.

As we were leaving we thanked Myra and told her we couldn’t wait to attempt the recipes on our own. “Do it sooner than later so you remember what we did.” More great advice.

How often do you cook with friends? What's the best info nugget you've learned? And what is your essential kitchen gadget or gizmo?

orange blossom water, we used in a dressing

I am no longer intimidated by baby artichokes, for record different than baby carrots

poking the broccoli 

Ditch the (Bottled) Salad Dressing

Lovely photo, thank you Lisa

I have a longtime client who has maintained a 20-pound weight loss for almost ten years. She’s savvy when it comes to food ingredients,  she orders wild salmon from Vital Choice and knows to BYOC (bring your own chicken) so she doesn’t have to eat the antibioticy option at the salad bar at work. She was in my office for a check-in recently and we reviewed her daily routine. “Speaking of that salad, how are you dressing it?” I asked.  “I use Newman’s,” she answered. I raised my eyebrows and told her “you can do better than that.” “I know most dressing is bad but even Paul Newman’s”?

I mean no disrespect to the deceased and truly admire the charitable work Newman’s Own has done. Yet their dressings have up to two teaspoons of sugar (1 teaspoon= 4 grams) per two tablespoon serving. This isn't meant to single out any one brand, this holds for all salad dressings. I’m sure some of you will say that one to two teaspoons of sugar isn’t that big of a deal. The issue is that sugar doesn’t have to be there. Furthermore, this is really an example of a food that could be two to three real ingredients and instead has 20 scary ones (to be clear, Newman's steers clear of the scary ingredients). Sugar, HFCS or artificial sweeteners aren’t the only issues; salad dressings are preservative playgrounds.  

Here are some of the ingredients you'll find in salad dressing. I can always tell a troublesome ingredient because spell check doesn't recognize it.

• Natamycin: acts as a preservative or antifungal
• Calcium Disodium EDTA: preservative; prevents air from spoiling food products, known to cause skin reactions and GI upset. It us currently under investigation by the FDA for mutagenic or reproductive effects.
• Carmel color: food coloring known to be a carcinogen and immunosuppressive
• Autolyzed yeast extract: texture, taste
• Sulfur dioxide: preservative
• Sodium Benzoate: preservative, one of the ones research links to hyperactivity and behavior problems in children
• Soybean Oil- much of the soybean oil used in dressings is genetically modified
• MSG
• Xantham gum: used to add volume and viscosity; it’s not necessarily harmful carbohydrate used in a lot of gluten-free products, but do we need to be adding carbohydrate to our salad dressings?

I’m just not sure why anyone would want to ruin a perfectly healthy meal pouring junk on top.

How much dressing do people typically use? 

The serving size listed on bottles is two tablespoons. Most people report using one to two tablespoons but are these people really measuring? A pour could end up being double that amount especially with the gargantuan salads many places serve. Also, some people think they are doing themselves a favor by ordering the dressing on the side then using the “dipping” technique. While this does allow you to control how much dressing you use on your salad, be careful not to dip the entire amount they give you on the side as it often exceeds what they would have otherwise put on the salad to begin with!

Tasty Alternative

When I embark on a mission to get clients to DIY with food, I know I’m going to have to engage in the time debate. When it comes to dressing, I’m going to win with debate. Go into your kitchen or work cafeteria, pour some olive oil and squeeze a lemon wedge or two. If you say that took more than a minute you’re lying or live in a much larger house than I do.

Easy Lemon Vinaigrette

1 small jar (I use leftover Zoe tuna jars)

1 lemon (lemons produce three to four Tbs. juice)

Olive Oil (double the amount of lemon juice)
Salt (optional) and Pepper 

Squeeze lemon juice in jar, add oil and shake. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. That’s it.

You can add lemon zest, Dijon mustard, parsley or basil or a minced clove of garlic. I also love experimenting with vinegars (fig, apple cider, balsamic). The point is that’s it’s easy, tastes better and saves you from ingesting sugar and preservatives.

At restaurants you can ask for olive oil and lemon on the side or olive oil and vinegar. To quote Kelly Clarkson, whose salad dressing habits I know nothing about, “oh sweetheart put the bottle down.”

Do you own bottled salad dressing? Would you consider ditching it? How is your salad dressed?

10 Ingredients That Make Healthy Food Exciting

                                              

One of my nutrition pet peeves is when people assume health eating is boring and bland. In order to lose weight there is no mandatory sentence to steamed vegetables, dry salads and cottage cheese. If that were the case I’d be searching for another profession. Yet we can all get into a food rut. Below you’ll find ten of my trusted jazzer-uppers that I use time and time again.

Capers- I spent my childhood flicking capers off smoked salmon on Sunday mornings. I couldn’t fathom what there was to like about them.  The skinny bottle of capers and the tube of anchovy paste confirmed at an early age that my parents were nuts. Then, during my first pregnancy, I did a culinary about-face. I became a caper convert.  My favorite capers are Le Pain Quotidien’s wild mountain capers.  Capers are great in tomato sauces and of course with fish (including smoked salmon)

Caramelized Onions are so delicious it’s hard to believe they’re just onions. I love caramelized onions mixed into other vegetables such as mushrooms or as a filling in potatoes. This genius idea of cooking them in a slow cooker is from Justine at Full Belly Sisters. 

 Pickled Jalapenos- I’ve never met a pepper I didn’t like but pickled peppers are special. They’re great with black beans and also hard-boiled eggs. They’re not crazy spicy but add that perfect little kick to foods. I’ll admit, I don’t make them but here is a recipe if you’d like to try. 

Zest-I have only been zesting for a couple of years, I first started after watching Giada’s show. Giada may zest lemons (limes and oranges) in more recipes than any other human. If you are going to zest you will need a microplane (which you can use for fresh ginger too) and prepare to have your life changed. Smoothies, chicken and salad dressing will never be the same.

Maya Kaimal’s Spicy Ketchup-last week I told you about MK’s simmer sauces. Well, there’s another ingredient you need to own and it’s her spicy ketchup. I am not a ketchup fan but this is not typical ketchup at all. You can use it in place of ketchup but I prefer it as a cocktail sauce stand in with shrimp.

     Truffle Salt- I am generally not one for fancy salt. I have a brick-sized box of kosher salt that I use to refill a saltcellar on my counter. Truffle salt is fantastic though; the flavor is sensational.  I’m a little embarrassed to admit one of my favorite uses for it is on popcorn. It’s also great on omelets and scrambled eggs. It isn’t cheap but I’ve had the same Dean and Deluca jar for almost a year.

Hampton Chutney Cilantro Chutney-Years ago, I was over at my friend Meg’s apartment for dinner. I cannot tell you what we discussed that night. All I know is that I planted myself next to this green dip and must’ve polished it all off. I know cilantro is a divisive herb but if you are pro-cilantro you need to try this. It’s great as a dip but also fantastic rolled with turkey, drizzled on an avocado or mixed into tuna. The ingredients are rather interesting: cilantro, coconut, dates, chilies, ginger, lemon juice, a handful of spices and a touch of salt.

Tahini, a paste made from sesame seeds, deserves a life beyond hummus. Tahini has a rich, creamy taste and works well as a salad dressing base. I also thin tahini and use it over greens, sort of like a creamless 

creamed spinach. Here are some other tahini recipe ideas from the New York Times.

Fig and Passion Fruit Vinegar-years ago I took a Balsamic Vinegar cooking class with my mother. Prior to that vinegar was reserved for salads exclusively. In class, we learned to pair various vinegars with cheese and even fruit.  Recently, one of my clients brought me a fig vinegar I love with fresh strawberries. I also have a passion fruit vinegar that works nicely with fish.

Pesto –in the summer I love making pesto.  I have a recipe I loved that incorporates arugula. In the winter, I cheat.  I buy pesto from Sauces n Love or Le Grand Pesto. I haven’t found anything that doesn’t go well with pesto.

What are your favorite jazzer-uppers?  Any uses for the ingredients above you want to share?  And are you pro-cilantro or anti?

Coveted Condiments

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Sue (now Susan but that’s another story) picked me up in her car. She had come in from Connecticut and we were headed to a reception for a high school teacher who was retiring. All I can say is times have changed since high school. Quickly our conversation turned to cooking and I was entering “Sunny Spain” a lemony spice mixture in my blackberry. I assure you as the night progressed we talked about slightly cooler topics. And then yesterday, I was scanning my Facebook updates and saw this from my friend Nelson’s brother “Sriracha hot sauce on a grilled cheese sandwich! Life-altering experience. How come nobody told me about this?” Maybe it’s our age, that it has been a while since high school, and what we are “consuming” has changed. That reasoning is a little depressing so I’ll go with the argument that condiments just make food more interesting.

Coveted Condiments:
1. Shiracha hot sauce- this hot sauce has almost a cult following. In preparation for this post I requested a chosen condiment from a few cooking pals and received multiple Shiracha replies. Shriacha is a delicious, not super hot, hot sauce. I am testing recipes for homemade Shiracha but for now use the bottle with the rooster on it. Combine it with Greek yogurt for a creamy variation (my secret ingredient on fish tacos).
2. Sunny Spain my friend Sue is the human equivalent of Google. No computer required, Sue will answer your questions. Well this is Sue’s condiment selection. It’s salt free, delicious and great on roasted chicken.
3. Penzeys Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cinnamon as long as we were talking Penzeys (who have a location in Grand Central market) I had to mention this cinnamon. It’s insanely good. My boys love it on applesauce and French toast. I love it on oatmeal.
4. Bernard Michaud’s Thousand Flowers Honey  I received this honey as a gift from a foodie client. Prior to tasting this, I wasn’t much of a honey person but was quickly converted. I now use this in smoothies, tea and marinades. It’s also an excellent gift as it comes in a beautiful red tin pail.
5. Nicolas Alziari Olive Oil- though listed as #5 this is my #1, can’t live without, makes everything better condiment. This olive oil is from Nice and has a unique taste. I combine it with lemon juice and kosher salt for salad dressing and its heaven every time. In NYC, you can purchase it at Citarella Markets.
6. San Giacomo Balsamic Condiment- I didn’t make it up that’s that it’s called on the bottle. This isn’t just balsamic vinegar, this is love. This was another one of those “you have to call this number and order this vinegar” commands I take very seriously. I love this on strawberries…don’t question it until you try it.

Please chime in; what are your coveted condiments? Any interesting uses for them? How did you discover them? I found it funny that my mother (the best cook I know) replied to my request for her favorite condiment very simply “butter and olive oil.”