What Should I Eat?

What should I eat? This is the holy grail of questions when it comes to food. We are all familiar with what we shouldn’t eat…pizza, burgers, chips and drinks such as pop or iced capped crap-puccinos. However with all the nutrition claims we hear everyday, it’s hard to figure out the best food choice strategy.

In the October issue of Nutrition Action Health Letter they address this very question. It’s a fantastic article that attempts to simplify healthy eating. They provide 10 things you can do but here are the three biggies.

1. Cut your liquid calories. If you are looking to drop pounds quicker than a DJ drops the beats then it’s important to limit your calories from pop, alcoholic beverages, juice, milk and other drinks. If you’re craving a fruit drink, eat a piece of fruit instead. It seems cutting calories from drinks matters more than reducing calories from solid food when it comes to weight loss.

2. Fill your dinner plate with veggies. The traditional North American dinner plate is half filled with a big slab of meat. The remaining half is usually split between a vegetable side dish and rice or potatoes. Instead, try making vegetables the main course so it fills at least half your plate. Keep the meat portion to the size of a deck of cards and fill the remaining quarter of your plate with a salad, rice or bean dish.

3. Minimize the junk. By junk I mean sugar, sodium and fat...all those wonderful things you find in processed foods. This is probably the hardest thing to reduce. My advice...only venture into a bakery once a week (to avoid muffins and bagels), snack on granola or energy bars only when you are doing a vigorous activity and limit your sugar intake to the equivalent of one or two cookies a day.

Putting these three strategies into practice does require a little effort but they're not that hard...I know you can do it!

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

My Cover Version of Bobby Flay’s Sweet Potato Salad

Some of the best tunes ever recorded are cover versions. Songs performed by bands who take a popular tune written by another musical artist and change a few musical elements to make it their own.

Many of us do the same when cooking. For instance this sweet potato salad recipe is a tweaked version of a dish that originated from celebrity chef Bobby Flay. Bobby’s version involved grilling individual sweet potato slices and scallions and used quite a bit of dressing. I wasn’t so keen on those ideas so I made a few changes. First I reduced the amount of dressing (too much oil for me), then I substituted red onion for the scallions, added diced apple and cooked it in a grilling basket so I didn’t have to grill each sweet potato slice separately. (By the way you could also roast the sweet potatoes and red onions in the oven on baking sheet at 425F for about 10 to 15 minutes).

Bobby’s recipe is great but I'm am really down with my cover version. Maybe I should have a throw down with him on this one…bring it on Bobby! What do you think...do I have a chance?

Cover Version of BF’s Sweet Potato Salad

Instruments
Dressing
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
Pinch each salt and pepper

4 medium sweet potatoes, par-cooked and cut into cubes
(To par-cook, pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork and cook in the microwave for 2 to 2½ minutes)
1/2 red onion, cut into small pieces
1 apple, peeled and cut into equal sized cubes
2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Lyrics

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat grill to high. Drizzle sweet potatoes and red onions with oil and toss in a grilling basket. Place basket on the grill and cook just until sweet potatoes become tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add apples and cook and stir for 1 minute more.

Add cooked sweet potato mixture and parsley to bowl with dressing. Toss until sweet potatoes are well coated. Transfer to a platter and serve.

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

Does Healthy Food Really Cost Too Much?

A news article currently circulating on the web and newspapers is about how Canadians rank their health as one of their biggest daily concerns. I for one think that is awesome! It’s great to see people are actually concerned about their health.

However the number one reason cited by Canadians for not eating healthy is that “pricey food” prevents them from making healthier choices. This I cannot understand. Last time I walked through my local Canadian grocery store, the cheapest items in the store were found in the produce aisle…where all those healthy fruits and vegetables are begging you to buy them. Maybe they're ignored because they are not packaged in boxes that are covered in suspect advertising claims about them being "the healthy choice".

The prices in the pasta aisle also don’t look too dear. A good sized bag of whole wheat pasta can easily be found for under $2. You can make a fantastic homemade tomato sauce out of a can of stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, diced onions, garlic and a few dried herbs and spices. It'll cost you less than $3. Keep your eyes on the weekly flyer's and you’ll usually find a special on meat and dairy just about every week.

So my fellow Canadians, check your weekly grocery bill and tell me what’s really costing you more…the processed food or the fresh stuff.

One last thought before I end this grumpy early morning rant. Even if you disagree with me and think healthy eating costs more…let me ask you this. Are you willing to sacrifice a bag of chips, box of cookies or carton of ice cream for a food item that’ll keep your body healthy? If not, then please don’t blame your weight and health problems on food prices.

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

Cooking…The Secret to Happiness?

Being at book signings just about every weekend gives me a chance to talk to many people. I’m always intrigued to learn about their cooking experiences.

This past weekend I met a woman who cooks so much that it drives her husband crazy. Yes you read that correctly. The problem is she never makes the same recipe twice so if her husband loves the dish he only gets to enjoy it once. There was a nice gentleman who apparently makes a killer Kailua chocolate cheesecake, a young lady who is known for her banana bread in her community and a high school student who says he is still learning to cook but loves creating in the kitchen.

The common thread among these stories was that it was very apparant that each individual was extremely proud of what they cooked. It was like the song “Shiny Happy People” by R.E.M. was playing in the background as they described their signature dish.

There is a certain happiness and confidence that comes with creating a meal and making it your own. Maybe cooking is the secret to happiness…just a thought.

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

In a Snap Baby Carrots...Not Just for The Holidays

Christmas CDs are usually kept tucked away until the holiday season. Polka songs typically only emerge at weddings or festivals. I find the same thing holds true for baby carrots. They are often only made for special occasions such as holidays and formal dinner parties. It doesn’t have to be that way.

In our household there is usually a bag of baby carrots hanging around our refrigerator crisper. We have good intentions to snack on them but we tend to only get through half the bag. I never like throwing food away so before the little orange beauties hit their expiration date I cook and serve them as a side dish for...get this...an everyday weeknight dinner. Crazy but true.

For those who want to break tradition and serve baby carrots as part of a weeknight meal, here is a tasty low-fat way to prepare them. They come together in a snap!

In a Snap Baby Carrots
Instruments
8 oz (1/2 lb) baby carrots
1/2 cup water
1/2 tbsp butter
2 tsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Lyrics
In a deep 10-inch skillet, place baby carrots in water with butter, sugar and salt. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat, cover with lid and simmer for 7 or 8 minutes. Remove lid and raise heat to medium high. Reduce water until it almost evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice. Toss carrots in sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Volume
Make 4 servings

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

Homegrown Garlic

Not sure if you noticed, but most of the garlic sold in North American grocery stores these days is imported from China. Why go with an import when you grow your own domestic stuff. If you have a small garden and you live in Ontario, Canada (or a place with a similar climate) you can grow your own garlic. The best part is growing garlic is similar to growing chives…extremely low maintenance (I like that).

The first step is finding a bulb of garlic that has been grown locally (somewhere in Canada or North America). Go to a local farmers market or if you live in Ontario you can find some at the Stratford Garlic Festival this weekend. Once your find your garlic treasure, remove individual cloves and bury them a few centimeters below the soil in your garden. Cover with mulch and your done. How easy is that?

If you plant it now (fall) you will see green shoots poke through the soil in the spring. In June you’ll have to snip off the funny looking twirly pig-tail stalks (helps the bulbs get big). By August your bulbs of garlic will be ready.

Unfortunately until then you’ll have to keep buying the imports. However once your homegrown arrives it is going to blow you away...and possibly others but you don't have to worry about that until next fall.

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

Become Your Own Celebrity Chef

Have you been meaning to get into shape but don’t know where to begin? Top athletes know that fitness begins with proper nutrition so they hire a personal chef. This obviously isn’t an option for many of us but there is something you can do. Become your own celebrity chef. That’s right! You can become a star in your own kitchen. You'll be turning drab dishes into healthy meals that dazzle and whip your body into shape on the inside (the part that matters the most). Here is how to do it.

- Like everything in life you'll probably want to do this quickly so forget about culinary school. Sign-up for a cooking class that covers the types of dishes you could see yourself making at home. While you are there key in on the cooking skills that can save you time and have some fun meeting new people.

- You’re going to need some healthy recipes so purchase a few cookbooks that cover a variety of healthy focused meals. I suggest you stay clear of the books written by chefs. Their dishes are fantastic but the recipes typically include ingredients that your grocery store doesn’t carry. Searching for ingredients can often be frustrating and lead to a bad case of "the cooking blues".

- Now that you’ve found your groove in the kitchen you may want to begin to put your own spin on recipes. Write down the ingredients you use (and the amount) and keep your new creations together in a recipe binder. Title the binder “Buff on the Inside Diet" and put your name on it as the author. Voila, you’ve just written your first celebrity chef cookbook!

- Reward yourself by investing in some nice cookware…you deserve it chef!

- Your confidence in the kitchen has skyrocketed and you’re loving the food you’re creating and eating. You're slimmer, trimmer and feeling buff...on the inside. Congratulations, you’ve become your own celebrity chef! As a chef you would only want to serve your customer (you) what's best…wouldn’t you?

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

In a Flash University Burritos

Back to school. Wow I remember those days; especially when I was heading back to university for another year. There was always so much stuff to pack. First the school supplies, then the furniture, followed by the entertainment equipment and last but not least the party attitude. What I never went with was some easy-to-make recipes.

That was a huge mistake as I ended up surviving on Kraft Dinner. Not a pleasant memory. To help you university / college students stay off the KD or pizza for at least one night here is a quick recipe you can use.

In Flash University Burritos (Warning: mixing with beer is not advised)

Start by cranking some tunes (if they are the type of songs that annoy your roommates then you’ve chosen wisely). Spread 2 tbsp of your favorite salsa over a whole wheat flour tortilla (yes it’s good for you). Top with re-fried beans (get a can from the grocery store). Sprinkle roasted red peppers (jars of these can be found at grocery store), chopped green onions (don't be afraid of the produce aisle) and shredded cheddar cheese on top. Roll it all up.

Crank your microwave to maximum power (just like your stereo) and nuke it for 20 seconds or until the cheese is melted. Guess what? Your college culinary creation is ready to eat! Go ahead and devour it!

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

September is the time for Positive Change

September is the month of change. Unfortunately most of the changes we associate with this month are negative ones; the end of summer, cooler weather and having to head back to school.

Instead of focusing on the negative you can use this month to make a 3 simple positive changes for yourself when it comes to eating.

How about:
·Cooking healthy homemade meals 3 times a week (not too much to ask).
·Storing all your goodies in a hiding place, so they are not on the counter tempting you to eat them (simple but effective).
·Promising yourself to make cooking more pleasant by listening to some old rock tunes or some lively jazz songs while you cook (now that sounds like fun).

In a month you may just find these 3 little changes create a happier and healthier you!

It seems making changes in September isn’t that bad after all.

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie