Healthy Eating Is Good Eating: Do-Ahead Dinner Party Lamb

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dinner party, entertaining, rack of lamb

It always puzzles me why we tend to do all or nothing.  Eat only vegetables or be meat and potato fanatics.  Food is so pleasurable, and every ingredient has something different to offer. Why not embrace them all? That’s why I think that while a preponderance of a variety of fresh vegetables should constitute the backbone of everyone’s diet, a little red meat now and again is not a bad idea. Choose lean and organic or hormone free, if possible. Red meat contributes high-quality protein; iron, an essential mineral in appropriate quantities; B12, which is hard to come by in completely vegetarian diets, as well as B1 and B6. Lamb contains one quarter to one third of an adult’s daily requirement for zinc.

Rack of Lamb with Herbed Garlic Crust is one of my favorite dinner party dishes, because it can be completely assembled in advance. While the chops on the plate you see look hefty, they constitute at most 4 ounces of meat, albeit so flavorful and well seasoned, the satisfaction level is high. And notice, as recommended by the powers that be, three quarters of the plate are filled with vegetables.

I like this recipe primarily because it is so delicious, but also because its do-ahead aspect removes as much fat as possible from the lamb and the smell from the initial browning will disappear by the time your guests arrive. For my plate, I’ve included Yukon gold potatoes roasted with onions, roasted beets, and steamed baby broccoli and asparagus. You can choose your favorite accompaniments.  And look for dessert in an upcoming blog.

Rack of Lamb with Herbed Garlic Crust

Baby racks of lamb from New Zealand are available in most parts of this country.  Because they are from young animals, the flavor is mild, and if you allow one rack for 2 to 3 people, portion size is appropriate.  Those prepackaged at Trader Joe’s are already heavily trimmed. Whole Foods also carries them, but be sure to ask the butcher to trim off any excess fat.You can brown the meat, layer on the crust, and finish the dish in the oven within an hour and a half of serving; or brown ahead and refrigerate until one to one and half hours before dinner.       Serves 2 to 3

• 1 rack of baby lamb (12 to 16 ounces)
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley sprigs, tough stems removed
• 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small shallot, chopped
• 2 to 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1. Trim any visible solid fat from the lamb. Season  all over with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a cast-iron or other heavy ovenproof skillet just large enough to hold the rack. Add the rack meaty side down and brown over moderately hot heat for about 3 minutes. Turn over and brown the other side for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the lamb to a plate. Pour off all the fat from the skillet, and carefully wipe it clean with paper towels. If you’ve done this preparation well in advance, cover the meat and refrigerate.  If you are within an hour and a half of serving, set aside to cool slightly.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  In a mini-food processor, combine the panko crumbs. parsley, rosemary, garlic, and shallot. Pulse, then process, until the parsley is chopped and the breading evenly mixed.
3. Paint the meaty side of the rack and the ends with the mustard.  Spread the seasoned crumbs over the rack and onto the sides, pressing it firmly but gently with your hands to help it adhere.
4. Return the rack to the skillet and roast until the center of the meat registers 139 degrees F for medium rare, about 15 minutes, or slightly higher if you prefer it better done. (The flavor is best if the meat is pink.)  Remove from the oven and let stand for 3 to 5 minutes to finish cooking.  Divide into double chops to serve.

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Move It or You Won’t Lose It

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exercise, lowering blood sugar, physical activity, weight loss

There’s nothing like personal experience to drive home a lesson. I always tell my clients physical activity is a major component of good nutrition. I even pass out free pedometers, explaining how moving skeletal muscles not only speeds up metabolism, but perhaps more importantly, facilitates transport of glucose from the bloodstream into the cells, where it’s used for energy, without any action of insulin. But do I practice what I preach?

Zipper

I walk my dog Zipper for up to an hour every day, but he zips only occasionally and stops and sniffs a lot. There’s no room for my treadmill where I live now, and I dropped membership in my health club when they moved farther away. My yoga mat, well used most of my adult life, remains rolled up and tucked away. I use the same excuses as all the people I’m trying to help.  Too busy: the computer and stove, work and responsibilities take up all my time, as does life.

So no surprise my own recent efforts to drop a few pounds hit a wall. First I gave up bread and booze, an easy first-line strategy. Dispensable calories, at least in the short run. Bingo: 3 pounds in 3 weeks—an optimal weight loss rate: slow, steady and often permanent.  But then, the numbers just wouldn’t budge. Granted, it was a casual diet, and after a few weeks, I wanted a glass of wine. I made further changes, eating lighter, including even more vegetables than usual, creating more salads, some of which you’ll find elsewhere on this blog. The food was delightful and I felt great, but still, no more pounds came off.

Then recently, with the weather absolutely perfect and a little more time on my hands, I took a long hike with my good friend graphic designer Suzin Purney. We let the dogs off their leashes and kept a brisk pace up and down hills for about an hour and a half. The next day, I picked up my tennis racket for the first time in at least a decade. Another dear friend, Mary Ann Kendall, who is a pro at the local tennis club, gave me a lesson. Miraculously, the muscle memory was there, and it started to come back. It felt great to hit the ball and run around the court. I kept up the pace for another few days.

Well, at the end of the week when I stepped on the scale, there were two more pounds gone. I’d reached my goal.  But it was only achievable when I added some rigorous physical activity to my dietary plan. It’s not trivial that in the biochemistry of nutrition, we study exercise physiology along with calories, carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Proper diet and physical activity go hand in hand. You cannot achieve optimal health with one without the other.

Avocado and Arugula Salad with Blueberries and Melon

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arugula, avocado, blueberries, melon, mono-saturated fat, Nutrition, salad, vitamins

Ok, I’m on a salad jag. What can I say?  All the vegetables and fruits in the market are so beautiful, they call out to me. So why not put them together? Technically avocado is a fruit, but most of us think of it as a vegetable, so that’s how I’ll refer to it.  Rich in healthful mono-saturated fat, avocados are nutrient dense, providing vitamins K, C, E folate and most of the B vitamins as well as fiber, lutein and magnesium. While we usually associate vitamin K with blood clotting, it is essential to building strong bones. Calcium cannot do it alone.

This pretty salad can serve as a first course. Or you can transform it easily into a light main-course with a sprinkling of sunflower seeds and a few tablespoons of crumbled ricotta salata, dry white goat cheese, or feta cheese. For the meat eaters out there, which includes me upon occasion, a paper-thin slice or two of prosciutto wouldn’t hurt, either.  Serves 2; recipe doubles easily.

• 2 cups arugula, tough stems removed
• 1/2 cantaloupe or honeydew melon, sliced, rind removed
• 1 small avocado, peeled and sliced lengthwise
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, Banyuls vinegar, or white wine vinegar
• 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1. Arrange 1 cup of arugula on each of 2 salad plates.  Decorative arrange the melon and avocado slices on top. Scatter the blueberries over the salads.
2. Drizzle the lemon juice or vinegar and olive oil over the salads. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
   

   Avocado and Arugula Salad

Fresh Zucchini Salad with Parmesan Cheese and White Truffle Oil

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Parmesan cheese, salad, white truffle oil, zucchini

 Who ever said good nutrition has to be dull?  Raw zucchini is highly alkalizing, rich in fiber and low in calories, containing only about 20 per cup.  It provides a little incomplete protein (2 grams), which the cheese in this recipe will boost, roughly one-third of the RDA for vitamin C, a bit of vitamins A and K, two important carotenoids—lutein and zeaxanthin—some B2 (riboflavin) and B6 (pyridoxine), potassium and manganese.

Romanesco zucchini

This refreshing, sophisticated recipe, which I picked up on a hot afternoon at Ristorante Leo in Florence, is best made with Romanesco zucchini, the ribbed variety that produces all the flowers.  It is not as prolific as more commercial types; so look for it at farmer’s markets and specialty produce stores, or grow your own. It has marvelous flavor and a firm,crisp texture, which holds up well even with cooking. Also, choose the youngest, sweetest onions you can find and shave them paper thin.  Serves 4 as a first course.

• 3 small or 2 medium zucchini
• 1 or 2 small sweet white onions, about 2 inches in diameter
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 ounces shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, aged Pecorino Romano or Manchego
• 2 to 3 teaspoons white truffle oil (optional but desirable)

1. Using a mandolin, a swivel-bladed vegetable peeler, or the slicing blade of a box grater, shave the zucchini lengthwise into very thin, wide ribbons. Thinly slice the onion.
2. Toss the zucchini and onion with the lemon juice and olive oil. Season lightly with salt and generously with freshly ground black pepper.
3. Arrange the salad on 4 plates. Scatter the cheese over the zucchini and drizzle the truffle oil on top. Serve at room temperature or lightly chilled.
   

   Zucchini Salad with Parmesan Cheese and Truffle Oil

Why I Hate Superfoods

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antioxidants, cancer, diabetes, fiber, glycemic index, heart disease, minerals, obesity, superfoods, vitamins

Well, “hate” is too strong a word. Let’s just say I find the word distasteful and not helpful when it comes to instilling an understanding of how to eat to promote healthy aging and prevent chronic ills like cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease.  You see, most lists of superfoods are innocuous.  The foods themselves are usually low in saturated fat and glycemic index and high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber—all nutrients that have been associated with better health.

The problem is that the very term superfood reinforces the same mindset that suggests you can simply swallow a pill and make everything bad go away.  People who jump at superfood lists glom onto a particular food and eat it everyday: blueberries, walnuts, kale, salmon, acai berries…whatever, thinking that one ingredient will provide the magic bullet to cure all.

Researchers have tried the same approach, and it’s failed every time.  They’ve extracted particular nutrients that seem to have preventive powers from foods—folate, vitamin E, vitamin A—and done clinical trials where they give these supplements to see if they reduce incidence of cancer or heart disease. In many instances, trials have had to be stopped because they saw damage occurring along the way.  Too much of some single vitamins may be as harmful as too much. Or there may be nutrients we have yet to discover in vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Or it may be that it’s the combinations of foods we eat that are so helpful.

A truly healthy diet must include a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and whole grains everyday.  If you follow my blog, I’ll offer recipes that are creative and delicious, and that make healthy eating a delight.  Not a single superfood, but a collection of them that together will put powerful nutrition tools in your hands.