If you have decided to start cooking and eating more healthfully, it is encouraging to know that chefs have been there before and have some suggestions.
During a professional workshop sponsored by the American Heart Association’s Metropolitan Chicago chapter, two local chefs showed participants how to ease the transition to a better but not blander diet.
“I made the commitment myself about two years ago to get regular exercise and watch my diet,” said David Schy, chef/owner of Hubbard Street Grill, addressing an audience of about 30 dietitians and chefs at the Kendall College Culinary School in Evanston. For example, he said, “We can all do with much less oil in the kitchen. You only need a touch, just enough to coat the pan.”
Schy said he has eliminated most cream and butter sauces from his restaurant’s menu as well as his home cooking. Customers are responding well, he said, though they are not always aware the meals are lower in fat and salt.
“People tell me they enjoy the food and they don’t feel as overstuffed or full,” Schy said.
Even so, modifying recipes isn’t as easy as just cutting out the fat. And Schy advised cooks to test-run any changes before putting them on, say, the Thanksgiving menu.
One key for chefs is exploiting ingredients with intense flavors to replace foods that are higher in fat.
For example, Schy makes mashed potatoes with considerably less butter and uses skim milk, adding mustard for flavor. But he discovered the potatoes must be served promptly to keep them from drying out.
“Chefs have a tendency to put in more milk and butter so the potatoes can sit longer,” Schy said.
David Choi, manager and chef of Amitabul, embraces the Buddhist belief that humans were intended to be plant eaters. His restaurant’s menu eschews dairy products along with meat, poultry and fish. For protein needs, he relies on the soybean, he said, either ground or made into tofu, as well as various nuts.
At the workshop, Choi demonstrated a salad based on preserved seaweed, one of his favorite foods. He likes to add sesame leaves (available fresh from July to September), spinach and watercress before adding such things as apple pears, radishes and grapes.
“You can find the greens at most Asian markets,” Choi said. “You can even freeze some greens for wintertime” by blanching them briefly in boiling water, then cooling them and storing them in the freezer.
Choi also demonstrated the proper way to make a maki roll, the Japanese staple that encases vegetables and other ingredients in a layer of rice wrapped in algae or seaweed paper (also available at Asian groceries). He recommends them for trips, kids’ snacks, airline flights or as “easy appetizers people think took you all day to make.” (See accompanying story.)
Schy’s example was what is fast becoming an American staplethe grilled vegetable sandwich. He uses goat cheese and pesto in small but effective amounts to add zest. He also likes using sun-dried tomatoes to “compact the flavor.”
“The bread is probably the most important part of the sandwich,” Schy said. “Fortunately, as people look to eat better, there are more options for both the bread and filling.”
GOAT CHEESE PESTO
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Yield: 1 cup
David Schy of Hubbard Street Grill uses this mixture on grilled vegetable sandwiches. It goes easy on the pine nuts and goat cheese, and is flavorful enough to spread thinly.
1 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
7 medium garlic cloves, peeled
6 pieces oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons each: grated Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch salt, ground black pepper
3 ounces creamy goat cheese
Place all ingredients except goat cheese in a food processor. Process about 10 seconds until pureed. Add goat cheese and process until just blended.
Nutrition information per tablespoon:
Calories …… 50 Fat ………… 3 g Cholesterol .. 3 mg
Sodium ….. 50 mg Carbohydrates .. 3 g Protein ……. 2 g
ROLL PLAYING: TAKE A SHEETOF SEAWEEDAND EXPERIMENT
David Choi, chef at Amitabul, is a fan of maki, the Japanese name for bits of food wrapped in cooked rice and seaweed or algae paper. Making these cylindrical snacks at home is easy, if you follow some tips:
– Algae paper is more nutritious than seaweed paper, Choi said, because algae is harvested younger.
– Keep the paper as dry as possible, and keep the rough side on the outside to make for easierhandling.
The rice (Choi prefers short-grain) should be a little sticky so the maki holds together better.
– Be creative with ingredients; pretty much anything goes. Hard vegetables such as carrots should be steamed and cooled first. And make sure any meat or fish is thoroughly cooked, or use tofu if you want to add protein. “I like to add some marinated ginger to the filling,” Choi said. “It creates more saliva, which is good for digestion.”
– Spread rice evenly over the sheet, then spread filling on third of the rice nearest you. Start rolling with the side nearest you and make sure there are no air gaps by gently massaging the roll as you wrap it up. Use a sharp knife for cutting into pieces.
