My bathroom scale and I have come to an understanding. I won’t stand on it and hurt it anymore if it will stop telling me my weight.
The last couple of months have been brutal on my waistline: Valentine’s Day, a birthday. Um, Groundhog Day. Uh, leftovers from New Year’s Eve/Christmas/Thanksgiving/Halloween. Last Groundhog Day.
I needed a break. My scale needed a break.
So I decided to devote a week to healthful eating. I wanted to make food that wasn’t just deleterious to my health; I wanted to make food that was actively good for me. Or at least food that was not awash in calories.
The trick, though, was to create dishes that had a heap of flavor and were not just bland and blah.
The first part of the equation, the part about the food being low in calories, was relatively easy. I started out with main ingredients that are relatively low-cal to begin with — fish, chicken, and a vegetarian dish featuring lentils. I am uncommonly fond of lentils, and they do not take long to cook.
I cooked these ingredients with as little fat as I could get away with, and no added sugar. I baked the fish, poached the chicken and boiled the lentils and the shrimp; each method helps keep the weight off.
Though the presentations are simple — no fancy sauces, except on the chicken — they are deceptively full of flavor. How I achieved this is no secret; I simply cooked them with powerful aromatics and other ingredients that transferred their taste to the other items.
Asian Baked Salmon
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
¼ cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced
1 large garlic clove, finely minced
Juice from ½ lemon
1 pound salmon fillet or fillets
Sesame seeds, for garnish
1 green onion, sliced thin, for garnish
Place soy sauce, ginger, garlic and lemon juice in a shallow dish, and stir to mix. Add salmon, flesh-side down, and let sit unrefrigerated for 30 minutes. While it marinates, heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a baking dish large enough to fit the salmon.
Place salmon, flesh-side up, in baking dish and bake until fish comes off in flakes, 12 to 15 minutes.
Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions, and serve.
Poached Chicken
Yield: 4 servings
3 cups chicken stock
¼ cup white wine, optional
¼ large onion, sliced
½ bulb fennel, sliced thin
1 lemon, sliced thin
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons cornstarch
In a large skillet, heat stock, wine (if using), onion, fennel and lemon over medium heat until it simmers. Gently add chicken breasts — the liquid may not completely cover them — and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand until fully cooked, about 15 minutes.
Remove chicken to a platter using tongs or a slotted spoon, and tent with foil to keep warm. Bring the poaching liquid to a boil. Mix cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water and stir into poaching liquid. Cook, stirring frequently, until liquid thickens into a sauce.
Thinly slice chicken crosswise, and serve with the sauce.
Curried Lentils
Yield: 4 servings
1 ½ teaspoons oil
½ cup onions, chopped
½ cup carrots, diced small
1 large garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced
1 serrano pepper, sliced, optional
½ teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¹⁄8 teaspoon salt
1 cup lentils
2 ½ cups vegetable stock, plus more if necessary
Heat oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are fully translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and serrano pepper if using. Cook, stirring, 30 seconds.
Add curry powder, cumin and salt, and stir while cooking for 30 seconds. Add lentils and stir until thoroughly coated with spices. Stir in stock. Raise heat to bring to a boil, then lower to a low simmer. Cook until lentils are cooked and completely soft, about 20 minutes. Add more broth if necessary to keep lentils moist while cooking.
Taste and add salt if needed. Serve over white rice.