Tips Archives - Page 7 of 9

Cooking for Family Gatherings

Posted on November 22, 2016August 23, 2018 by admin – By admin

I’m the new girl at What We Eat so I’ll start by introducing myself. My name is Charlotte and I’m here because cooking is the single most consistent thread in my life. Not necessarily the subject of cooking, but the social and communal aspects of it. Growing up in Chicago, my mom wasn’t home most nights as the committed breadwinner of our household and my father’s cooking ability didn’t extent beyond basting chicken wings with a bottle of “Open Pit” over the Weber grill. Although home cooked meals weren’t a nightly staple, we made up for it on weekends, holidays, family reunions, or just about any excuse we could think of to sit people around our dinning room table. My fondest memories as a kid were, without a doubt, hosting wedding showers for my big cousins in our back yard and travelling to my grandparent’s house with our ETA scheduled the moment the Christmas ham came out of the oven. I understood from a very early age that the key to making people happy and being happy myself was eating well and sharing good food with the people I care about.

In college, cooking was what set me apart from almost everyone I lived with. I struggled to find the balance between expressing my predisposition toward cooking and going above and beyond for roommates who, for the most part, didn’t understand what was so great about homemade pizza crust. I (literally) fed off the satisfaction of pleasing others with food; no matter who it was or at what cost. I went out of my way to cook these elaborate meals for people that were just as content eating ramen for breakfast. I set ridiculous goals for myself and was always disappointed by the results. Ultimately, I lost touch with what cooking for others in a positive, fulfilling way feels like and knew it shouldn’t feel like I’m doing it to impress someone or make new friends. The food you bring to the table should be personal and it should reflect your taste, not just catered to what you think people will enjoy. With this attitude my menus evolved from simple spaghetti with tomato sauce to discovering my favorite combination of veal, pork and beef meatballs and spaghetti. My standards and tastes developed to appreciate new cuisines and adjust old ones. That being said the soul of my cooking originated from my most memorable family meals and to this day the most influential cookbook on my shelf was bound by my aunt and consists of a curated and expanding history of my family’s favorite, most craved and worshiped recipes. I still consult it’s oil-stained pages for my grandmother’s tried and true oatmeal cookies and my mother’s prized mushroom pate but I must admit that I’m motivated more and more by the excitement of trying new recipes with the tradition of family getting together the defining ingredient.

Now, I’m not saying that Thursday morning is the time to test out the cauliflower version of mashed potatoes or a deep fried turkey on your thanksgiving guests (or guinea pigs). So, stick to what you know but challenge yourself to come out of the green bean comfort zone. The easiest adjustment or addition you can make to the spread is to try a new salad or blend of roasted vegetables. It’s no surprise that salad is the most overlooked dish at the thanksgiving table. I mean who wants to compete with creamy mashed potatoes and savory stuffing? But after just three weeks at What We Eat, I’m a believer that salad could steal the show (not that we’re keeping score). Because salads are adaptable and easy to tweak, it makes them hard to screw up. This thanksgiving I’ve nominated myself to make the salad and based on the ones we’ve been making for clients lately, I’m pretty confident my family will be licking their salad plates.

Here are some rough ideas:

Crispy shaved brussels sprout salad with tender farro, pomegranate seeds, pickled red onion, currents with a honey-lemon vinaigrette

Roasted carrots and beets with a red-wine vinegar dressing, toasted pistachios and crumbled goat cheese.

Stay tuned for the results! With love, Charlotte 🙂

SALAD LOVE

Posted on September 16, 2016February 28, 2022 by admin – By admin

What We Eat: Salad Love
It’s such a cliché. A girl—a dietitian girl—who loves salads. But I won’t apologize. I love salad.

What makes me feel a little better about it is that other people seem to love my salads too. Sometimes we get requests from our clients: “Can we do chicken more often?” “More vegetarian meals please.” “Our kids aren’t into salmon lately so let’s nix that for awhile.” But by far the most consistent piece of feedback is “We love the salads! More of the same.”

Our claim to fame is that we can make anyone (okay, any adult…kids are hard) a salad lover if they give us time. This is something I’m really proud of because the fact is, the more veggies we eat, the healthier we’re going to be. (We’re saving lives here people! Not really. But kind of.) And if you can make them taste really good, there is no sacrifice.

So what follows are very loose recipes for some of my most oft-repeated salads. Some of them are my “pantry” salads – the ones I make because I haven’t been to the market but the vegetables needed are those that I keep stocked in my veggie drawer – while others I have on rotation just because I love them so much. A few special notes…

I’ve broken down the recipes into “set ingredients,” those that are non-negotiable, and “highly recommended additions,” which are those that bring the salads to the next level.
All of the salads should be made in wide, shallow bowls and platters so none of the ingredients get crushed or lost at the bottom.
Typically, the more fresh herbs, the better.
Never waste citrus zest. If the vinaigrette includes it, zest the citrus directly into the salad or include it in the vinaigrette.
Exact measurements don’t matter. Trust your instincts. If you don’t like it exactly as is you make it the first time, you’ll know what you want to adjust the next time you make it!
Varying the type of herbs, cheese and/or nuts you use changes the character of a salad. In that way, each of the recipes below represent countless recipes. Experiment!
I love tahini, even if I just use a teaspoon of it in my dressing. But not all tahini is created equal. I mail order Al Wadi and Soom brands and love both.
Avocado is always an optional ingredient but I almost always include it.
Always toast your nuts to bring out maximum flavor.

Year-Round “Pantry” Salads

SHAVED CELERY SALAD

Set ingredients

Thinly sliced celery
Golden raisins or chopped dried dates
Sliced scallions or shallots
Lemon zest
Lemon juice/olive oil/salt/pepper
Toasted hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds
Parsley, mint, and/or basil

Highly recommended additions

Arugula
Shaved Parmesan, pecorino or goat cheese
Avocado
A drizzle of tahini

SHAVED CARROT SALAD

Set ingredients

Carrots thinly sliced or shaved into ribbons using a peeler
Golden raisins or chopped dried dates
Toasted almonds or walnuts
Mint, scallions and/or parsley (the more, the better; def include mint if you have it)
Lemon zest
Lemon juice/tahini/olive oil/salt/pepper

Selection of highly recommended additions

Arugula
Goat cheese
Avocado
Shaved raw beets or apples

Spring/Summer Salads

GREEN BEAN AND PEA SALAD

Set ingredients

Mix or just one of the following – sugar snap peas, snow peas, green beans, freshly shucked peas (blanched, all kept whole or thinly sliced if you like)
Toasted walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds
Mint, basil and/or parsley
Shallot or scallions
Lemon zest
Lemon juice/olive oil/salt/pepper

Highly recommended additions

Arugula or little gem or butter lettuce
Goat cheese, Parmesan, pecorino, or feta
Avocado
Radish

CORN ANY WHICH WAY SALAD

Set ingredients

Corn (grilled, boiled, roasted, raw) cut off the cob
Mint, cilantro, basil, scallions and/or parsley
Toasted pepitas, walnuts or almonds
Lemon or lime zest
Lemon or lime juice/olive oil/salt/pepper

Highly recommended additions

Arugula, butter lettuce, mizuna, or other greens
Grains of any kind
Sliced cucumber
Avocado
Radish
Scallions
Dusting of chili powder

TOMATO AND STONE FRUIT SALAD

Set ingredients

Sliced tomato
Sliced stone fruit (peaches, plums, apricot, cherries, etc.)
Mint and/or basil
Shallot
Lemon zest
Balsamic/olive oil/salt/pepper

Highly recommended additions

Arugula, little gem or butter lettuce
Avocado
Goat cheese, burrata, mozzarella
Toasted almonds or pecans

DARK FRUIT AND GREENS

Set ingredients

Dark fruit – pitted cherries, figs, and/or plums (roasted or raw)
Arugula, little gem or butter lettuce
Mint and/or basil
Toasted almonds
Lemon zest
Balsamic/olive oil/salt/pepper

Highly recommended additions

Avocado
Goat cheese
Shallot

GRILLED OR ROASTED ZUCCHINI SALAD

Set ingredients

Grilled or roasted zucchini
Mint, basil and/or parsley
Red wine vinegar/olive oil/salt/pepper
Small amount of chopped garlic, red onion or shallots added to vinaigrette

Highly recommended additions

Arugula
Toasted walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts or pine nuts
Goat cheese, mozzarella, burrata or Parmesan
Avocado

Fall/Winter Salads

ROASTED WINTER SQUASH SALAD

Set ingredients

Roasted winter squash like butternut, delicata or kabocha OR roasted sweet potato (cut into 1 inch cubes or into wedges, 425, olive oil, salt, pepper, 35-45 minutes until well caramelized, let them go longer than you think)
Arugula or massaged lacinto kale
Toasted almonds, walnuts or pecans
Mint, basil, cilantro (if doing tahini dressing option) or parsley
Shallot or scallions
Balsamic or white balsamic/olive oil/salt/pepper OR tahini/lemon juice/olive oil/salt/pepper

Highly recommended additions

Avocado
Parmesan, pecorino, goat cheese, cheddar, or blue cheese
Dried cranberries or fresh pomegranate arils

BRUSSELS SPROUT SALAD

Set ingredients

Raw shaved Brussels sprouts or roasted halved Brussels sprouts (425F, olive oil/salt/pepper, 25-30 minutes until golden brown with some crunch)
Thinly shaved shallot
Arugula
Mint, basil and/or parsley
Shaved parmesan, pecorino or goat cheese
Lemon zest
Lemon juice/olive oil/salt/pepper

Highly recommended ingredients

Avocado
Shaved apple

CITRUS SALAD

Set ingredients

Segmented or sliced oranges (blood, navel, a mix, etc.)
Thinly shaved shallot
Arugula, butter lettuce, endive, fennel or a mix
Mint
Orange zest
Orange juice/white balsamic/olive oil/salt/pepper

Highly recommended ingredients

Avocado
Goat cheese

Year-Round Salads

ROASTED CARROT AND AVOCADO SALAD

Set ingredients

Roasted carrots (425F, olive oil/salt/pepper/cumin/coriander/garlic powder, 30-40 minutes until well caramelized)
Thickly sliced avocado
Mint, cilantro, scallions and/or basil
Toasted walnuts or pepitas
Lemon, lime or orange zest
Lemon, lime or orange juice/olive oil/salt/pepper

Highly recommended additions

Arugula
Sprouts or microgreens
Feta, goat cheese or dollops of full fat Greek yogurt

SHAVED FENNEL AND ARUGULA

Set ingredients

Arugula
Shaved fennel
Scallions or shallots
Mint, parsley, dill and/or basil
Toasted walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts or almonds
Lemon zest
Lemon juice/olive oil/salt/pepper

Highly recommended additions

Sliced radish
Sliced celery
Parmesan, pecorino or goat cheese
Avocado

What We Eat: Avocado, Cucumber and Mango Salad CUCUMBER AND AVOCADO

Set ingredients

Thickly chunked cucumber
Thickly chunked avocado
Thinly sliced scallions
Cilantro
Lime juice/a little mayo/olive oil/chili powder or sriracha/salt/pepper

Highly recommended additions

Arugula or romaine
Thinly sliced mango
Toasted pepitas, walnuts or almonds
Feta

ROASTED MUSHROOM SALAD

Set ingredients

Roasted or grilled mushrooms, usually shiitake (if roasted, torn into bite size pieces by hand, 425F, olive oil, salt, pepper, 25-30 minutes tossed halfway through until almost crunchy)
Arugula or massaged lacinto kale
Scallions or shallot or red onion
Toasted hazelnuts or walnuts
Parmesan or pecorino
Mint, basil and or parsley
Lemon zest
Lemon juice/olive oil/salt/pepper

Highly recommended additions

Radish
Avocado
Chickpeas (can roast at 425F with olive oil/salt/pepper for 40 minutes until crunchy if you like)
Cherry tomatoes
Hard-boiled eggs

Video: Crispy-Skinned Sea Bass, Roasted Cauliflower and Parsley Knife Pesto

Posted on June 5, 2015February 28, 2022 by admin – By admin

I put this video together last fall with my new, but already deeply cherished friend Meredith Carlin. Meredith heads up the original programming production team for ulive (it’s a rabbit hole of addictiveness…consider yourself warned), so I was beyond lucky to have her guiding me along the process.

It was my first time on camera and, wow, I did not know just how hard it would be. Respect for anyone who has made a career doing it. There is a steep learning curve but I’m already excited to put together another.

For now, I hope this inspires you to get out to your farmer’s market and then into your kitchens. You’re more likely to find asparagus or mushrooms than cauliflower this time of year, but use this technique as your template and vary your veggies according. Let me know how it goes!

xo L

Crispy-Skinned Sea Bass, Roasted Cauliflower and Parsley Knife Pesto

Serves 2, with BIG servings of cauliflower

Ingredients

For cauliflower

1 medium-large head cauliflower (any variety works but try romanesco, cheddar or another specialty variety if it’s available)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
For parsley knife pesto
¼ cup toasted almonds
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup packed parsley
Zest of 1 lemon, divided
Juice of ½ lemon, saved for the end
Salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil to taste

For sea bass

2 sea bass or trout fillets (If it’s whole, have your fish guy cut it into fillets for you)
1-2 tablespoons Wondra
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon neutral tasting, high heat oil like grapeseed, vegetable or canola oil

Directions

To make the cauliflower:

Preheat the oven to 425-degrees F.
Meanwhile, break the cauliflower into small florets. The largest should be no bigger than a golf ball. Don’t let any cauliflower crumbs go to waste because these will get extra crispy and delicious.
Divide the florets and crumbs between two sheet pans.
Drizzle each pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and about ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Use your hands to massage the oil, salt and pepper into the cauliflower. You want every nook and cranny to be well-seasoned.
Roast cauliflower in top and bottom third of preheated oven for 30 minutes until very golden brown, tossing the cauliflower and swapping the placement of the pans halfway through.
Let cool on roasting sheets while making knife pesto and crispy sea bass.

To make the knife pesto:

Pile all pesto ingredients – ¼ cup toasted nuts, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 cup packed parsley, and zest of ½ lemon – onto a cutting board. Using a chef’s knife, chop it down together until it is cohesive pesto, but still chunky enough that you can see it contains almonds and parsley. There really is no right or wrong here though, so make it how you think you might like to eat it.
Reserve while making the crispy sea bass.

To make sea bass (or trout) and assemble dish:

Pat fillets very well with paper towels to get them as dry as possible. Using the back of your cleaned chef knife, scrape the skin side of the fillet to remove any excess moisture, wiping your knife with a paper towel after each swipe. This is almost like squeegeeing your fish.
Now that the fish is extra dry, sprinkle it lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. It isn’t a thick piece of fish, so season lightly!
Dust the skin-side of your fillets heavily with Wondra. Over the sink so you don’t make a mess, blow off any excess Wondra flour.
Place your prepped fish aside while you ready your equipment and finish assembling the roasted cauliflower and parsley knife pesto.
Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet, preferably cast iron over medium-high heat for a few minutes to get it good and hot.
Meanwhile, combine the cauliflower and knife pesto. You can do this on one of the cooled sheet pans to save yourself from needing to clean a separate bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. Feel free to add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if it seems dry.
Once fish skillet is hot, add 1 tablespoon of neutral flavored oil and it heat up until it is nearly smoking, about a minute. At this time, add your fillets, skin side down, pushing down on each so that the skin makes full contact with the hot pan. (If you don’t do this, it will buckle and not get as crisp.)
Cook for 3 minutes, all the while pushing down gently with your spatula.
After 3 minutes, flip the fillets and turn off the heat and let the fish finish cooking for 20-30 seconds in the pan’s residual heat.
To plate, place one fillet on each of two serving plates and pile high with the roasted cauliflower and knife pesto. Finish by zesting the second half of the lemon between the two and give them both a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Enjoy!

How to Breakdown a Squash

Posted on March 16, 2015February 28, 2022 by admin – By admin

What We Eat: Squash

Time to shake things up. Up to now, I haven’t shared a single post about cooking – recipes, tips, how-to’s, etc. – which is pretty crazy. My love of being in the kitchen is what got me into the nutrition field in the first place. And it is a lot easier to make eating well a priority if the healthy food you are cooking and eating actually tastes good. I should be showing you how to do that! So from here on out, I’m going to be sharing a lot more of this type of stuff. It’s fun for me, and hopefully useful for you. Let me know if you’re into it.

First up, how to breakdown a squash. It struck me the other day that if people are limiting themselves to the pre-cut butternut squash at their local Whole Foods, they are missing out on lots of the delicious varietals that don’t come conveniently pre-disassembled. Kabocha, delicata, spaghetti…so many options, each of which have a slightly unique taste and texture. My favorite happen to be the types with edible skin (delicata, kabocha, acorn), because they are quicker to prepare (less peeling) but also because I love the contrast of the soft dense flesh and crisp, almost crunchy skin.

There is no right or wrong way to cut up a squash (or maybe there is according to Thomas Keller, but not for us mere mortals). Just keep in mind that if you want to keep all of your fingers intact, a sharp knife is a total necessity and creating a flat surface to stabilize the squash is always better than trying to cut through it while balancing the round surface on your cutting board.

How do you cut your squash? Whats your favorite variety and how do you prepare it?

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eYvCLvXRSI[/youtube]

It’s Okay to Fail

Posted on February 6, 2015August 23, 2018 by admin – By admin

What We Eat: Success

In making healthy diet changes, you will fail. I know, I know, I sound like a negative Nancy (very out of character), but hear me out. Understanding this could be the key to helping you develop lifelong positive habits instead of throwing in the towel prematurely.

Adopting any new behavior is a process. It starts way before we actually actively make a change. Ground zero is when we are uninterested, unaware or unwilling to make the change. Step one is beginning to consider it. Step two is deciding to make the change and preparing to do it. Step three is making it. Step four is maintaining it. The final step? Step 5? Relapse! Failure! Falling off the wagon! Whatever you want to call it, research consistently shows that setbacks are the rule rather than the exception.

In my opinion, setbacks are especially expected with food-related changes because there are always times (as there should be) when we let go of our perfectly healthy diets. Maybe it’s because we’re celebrating a holiday, or maybe it’s because we’re stuck on a weeklong company retreat and we don’t get to choose what we eat. What really defines “successful” or healthy eating is not whether we never eat the wrong things or overindulge, but how quickly we recover from it to get back into our healthy eating routines. Over time, by making the duration of our setbacks shorter and shorter, our so-called relapses are really just lapses. Lapses, especially planned ones, are no big deal!

Setbacks can also be useful because they give us “data.” By investigating the situation surrounding our setbacks, we can better understand our weaknesses and create a plan to better overcome them next time. Think of them as learning experiences. Get curious, not guilty.

Example: “Wow, that’s interesting that as soon as work got hectic, not only did I stop cooking for myself but I also went back to my old ways of ordering burgers, nachos, whatever I darned well please, while eating out. Am I using food as a way to reward myself at the end of the day? Could I replace that with another non-food-related reward? What would it be? If I am going to be eating out a lot, how can I order something that might be similar to what I’d prepare for myself at home? Maybe I could check out menus online beforehand so I have a game plan.”

Setbacks give you the opportunity to be more successful in the future.

So the next time you “fail,” be kind to yourself. Take a little time to think about what led up to your setback, whether it has lasted a night, week, month or year(s). Create your game plan to get back on track and start immediately. All it takes is a few healthy meals strung together to change your mindset.

And to end with one of my favorite quotes, remember, “perfection is the enemy of progress.”