Nutrition & recipes

Staying Grounded with Optimal Nutrition for the Holidays

By Melissa Klein

NOVEMBER 2007

 

What does “being grounded” mean to you?  No, not in a sense of breaking curfew in high school, but more so having a sense of balance and stability to ride the waves of life.

The upcoming holidays, especially this Thanksgiving, are a critical time for maintaining balance.  Doing so helps you to better appreciate and savor each moment to have a fabulous season, when unfortunately many experience a stressful, blurred state.  Now’s the time to reflect on what feeds your soul -– relationships with family and friends, adequate sleep and physical activity, a spiritual practice that inspires you, and work and activities that motivate you. 

   Keeping that in check is just as important as the foods you eat for optimum wellness.  And, as you know, some foods provide you with more energy and contribute to a greater sense of balance and being grounded than others.  For this Thanksgiving, try delicious root vegetables like sweet potatoes that are in season and have amazing properties worth exploring.

The roots of plants are essential in supporting and nourishing the plant, serving as its anchor and foundation.  Root vegetables lend these same properties to us when we eat them -– helping us to feel more physically and mentally grounded and rooted, thereby increasing our stability and endurance. Think about how you feel when you eat root vegetables vs. leafy greens, for instance; while they’re both healthy, they may very well have a different affect on you physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Root vegetables are an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, providing a steady source of sugars necessary for energy.  They also help to regulate blood sugar levels, leading to improved moods and alleviating cravings, as opposed to refined sugars, which can generate a sugar imbalance (those sugar spikes you feel after eating holiday candy or white flour in cakes and cookies).

   Root vegetables come in a range of shapes and sizes. Round roots include turnips, radishes, beets, and rutabagas.  Long roots encompass carrots, parsnips, burdock, and daikon radish.  In many parts of the world, the latter two are viewed as excellent blood purifiers and help improve circulation and increase mental clarity.  The best method to store turnips and potatoes is in a cool, dark place out of the refrigerator.  Other roots keep well in the refrigerator for at least a week.

To help maintain the balance of health for the upcoming holiday season, try some of these great root vegetable recipes that can be enjoyed all year round!

Root Vegetable Ginger Soup

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, cut into chunks

1 tablespoon fresh ginger

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground mace

1 teaspoon each: coriander, cinnamon, black pepper, dry mustard

1/2 + teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

2-1/2 cups cubed peeled sweet potato

1 cup sliced parsnip or turnips

1 carrot

6 cups cubed & peeled butternut squash

5 cups water and a couple of bullion cubes, or fresh vegetable stock (you can vary the amount of liquid based on desired thickness)

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, herbs, and spices; sautee a few minutes. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender.

Add vegetables, broth, and additional water.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes or until tender.

Cool slightly and place mixture in a blender or food processor in batches; process until smooth. You can skip this part if you prefer a chunky consistency. Return pureed mixture to pot.

Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.

Optional: sprinkle with pine nuts or pecans when serving.

Slivered Burdock Root with Carrots

1 onion, cut into crescents

1 cup slivered burdock root

1 cup carrots

1 tablespoon miso diluted in 1/4 C water

Grated lemon peel

Sautee or steam onion, burdock, and carrots Add miso and lemon peel

Simmer 10 minutes on low heat

Source: Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford

Roasted Root Vegetables

1 sweet potato

2 parsnips

2 carrots

2 turnips or 1 large rutabaga

1 daikon radish (or substitute/add in your favorites, such as squash)

Drizzle of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Rosemary, thyme or sage (fresh, if possible)

Note: Any combination of vegetables will work.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Chop all vegetables into large bite-sized pieces.

Place in a large baking dish with sides.

Drizzle with olive oil; mix well to coat each vegetable lightly with oil.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs.

Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes until vegetables are tender and golden brown, checking every 10 minutes to stir and make sure veggies are not sticking.

Source: Institute for Integrative Nutrition

Orange-Jicama Salad

4 cups jicama, peeled and julienned (cut in thin strips)

2 oranges, sectioned

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and black pepper to taste

Pomegranate seeds

Mix the jicama, orange sections, and chopped cilantro in a bowl.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients, toss with the jicama-orange mixture, season to taste with salt and pepper, sprinkle pomegranate seeds, and serve.

Source: DrWeil.com

Melissa Klein, MPH, CHHC, is a Holistic Nutrition and Wellness Coach. She can be reached at melissa@suncompass.net; www.suncompass.net

From the Heat of the Kitchen

A Different Perspective on Thanksgiving Day

By Chef Jeffrey Tomchek

NOVEMBER 2007

Every holiday season I get panicked phone calls from customers who are cooking for guests and lose it. One thanksgiving a lady requested recipes from me, which I printed out and went over with her. Thanksgiving morning she called the kitchen to ask me why her kitchen smelled like burning plastic. I asked her if had taken the turkey out of the plastic wrapper. Her response was, “No, the recipe did not say to do that.”

I have my own panic borne of having to feed six hundred people a three course meal in seven hours, all from a tiny kitchen. Yes eighteen hundred plates of food in seven hours. How the hell am I going to pull that off? The quick answer is by planning every detail and being highly organized.

The process began in early September. The restaurant got its first reservation for Thanksgiving and they wanted to know what the menu was. I pulled up the menu from 2006 and decided I would start from scratch. I came up with my plan for the day taking into account my kitchen layout, cooler space and what I perceive to be the desires of my clientele. After writing the menu and distributing it to my staff I sat down with my calendar to plan. The production of that much food takes weeks to plan. My first priority was procuring the turkeys. I want to serve a free range product that is truly fresh. Turkeys by law can be held at a temperature below freezing for over a year and still be called “fresh”. This does not meet my criterion of a fresh product. The first week of November I spent an afternoon on the phone with a variety of suppliers checking on price and availability of five hundred pounds of truly fresh, free range turkeys. On the seventh I found the product I wanted and placed my order for delivery on Tuesday, November twentieth.

Next step is to figure out production levels for every item on the menu. I don’t want to run out, but can’t afford to waste expensive product. I will write a prep list starting the Sunday before. Every item to be prepared will have recipes and quantities. Every task will be assigned to a particular cook each day. We do not leave until every assignment for a given day is finished, checked, labeled and properly stored. The Wednesday before every item will be rechecked. That night I will fill two Alto Shaam ovens with whole turkeys and set a program that will slow cook the birds overnight. Thursday morning we will remove the finished turkeys, replace with raw birds and begin carving. The staff will have a bite to eat at eleven thirty and everyone will be in place at noon waiting for the first orders to come into the kitchen. Eight hours later we will clean up, have a cocktail and lock up empty coolers.

Turkey Day Recipes

Many people who do not cook at home on a regular basis are filled with terror when faced with the prospect of cooking a turkey. Every Thanksgiving the phone in my kitchen rings constantly with panicked customers seeking professional guidance. The starting point is the purchase of your turkey. There are many different varieties of turkeys on the market today. This can be confusing and a label that says “fresh” does not mean that the bird has not been frozen, so you need to shop wisely. The most common types of turkeys are:

1) “Frozen Self-basting” These are usually of consistent quality and relatively cheap, but self basting means it is injected with chemicals. If you cook a turkey right you do not need to baste it at all. I personally prefer to avoid food products with chemical additives.

2) “Fresh” This has probably been frozen for quite some time but as long as it has only been frozen once it can be labeled fresh. This is the wisdom of the federal government and beyond my comprehension. These are usually quite inexpensive but at least they are not injected with chemicals.

3) “Fresh Killed” This is a regular turkey that should not have been frozen at all. We shy away from frozen products other than ice cream because when you freeze something water in the cells expands, breaking through cell walls and destroying the proper texture. This is more critical with seafood than a turkey, but I think most people could tell the difference. A fresh killed turkey will be a little more expensive than the others previously mentioned.

4) “Free Range” These turkeys are almost always sold as “fresh kill” and more closely resemble a wild turkey in taste and texture. They are basically a domestic bird but they are allowed to run around and fool around and act like turkeys. This makes them happy and that makes them taste better. These are a good balance of taste versus price. They are more expensive than the first three, but considerably cheaper than wild or organic.

5) “Organic” This is a domestic turkey that is free range and not allowed any drugs or chemicals in its feed. These can be quite expensive but are usually excellent quality. If you are concerned about contaminants in the food supply you may feel they are worth the extra money. “Organics’’ are almost always sold as “Fresh Killed”.

6) “Wild” These are true wild turkeys like the type our founding fathers ate. They are available “fresh kill” or frozen and they are very expensive. They have more flavor and less fat and can be quite tough if not perfectly cooked. I find them historically interesting but do not really recommend them for the home cook.

Thanksgiving Recipes:

Roast Turkey

1 16 to 18 pound turkey

¼ c soy sauce

1 bu fresh sage

1 carrot, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 ribs celery, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Rub the turkey all over with the soy sauce and place all remaining ingredients inside the cavity. Cook the turkey breast down. The turkey will naturally baste when cooked this way. Stuffing should be cooked separately to avoid the risk of food poisoning. A bird this size will take 3 to 4 hours at 400° F. Every oven is different so this is only a rough guideline. Check the internal temperature every 15-20 minutes after 2 ½ hours, to insure a properly cooked bird. Remember when taking an internal temperature the temperature will continue to rise after the bird is out of the oven. I usually take a bird out ten degrees before the desired internal temperature. You should always let the bird rest at least ten minutes before carving or it will be dry.

Chefs’ Tip: An instant read meat thermometer is an essential kitchen tool. Even an experienced chef finds it difficult to know when a large roast is properly cooked. Many turkeys come with a pop up thermometer. If you cook the bird until this pops up your turkey will be terribly overcooked. For the best results use an instant read thermometer and take a temperature at the thickest part of the breast, and at the thickest part of the leg. 170° F will kill most bacteria commonly present in foods. A large roast will usually rise 10° F during resting. If you remove the turkey from the oven at 160° F internal temperature, the desired temperature should be achieved. There is a risk of salmonella with all poultry products so I cannot recommend cooking a turkey to less than 170° F.

Beverage Recommendation: Turkey is very versatile and will work well with most full bodied white wines and most light reds. I particularly like it with wines based on the Pinot Noir grape. Try the California Pinot Noir from Calera or a Rosé Champagne.

Giblet Gravy *5 Cups

3 Tablespoons Butter

1 Cup Ground Fresh Turkey or Chicken Giblets [ Giblets are Hearts and Gizzards ]

1/2 Cup Minced Yellow Onion

1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour

4 Cups Turkey or Chicken Stock

Sea Salt, Sweet Soy Sauce and Black Pepper to Taste

Bring the stock up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Heat the butter in a heavy frying pan large enough for all of the ingredients. Add the giblets and onions to the frying pan and cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, until the giblets begin to brown. Sprinkle the flour over the giblets and cook 3 minutes stirring constantly. Slowly add the hot stock to the frying pan stirring constantly. Let the gravy just come up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Season to taste with the sweet soy sauce, sea salt and pepper. I like the gravy to have a little bite of black pepper. Use additional stock if you want to thin the gravy out. The giblets will settle at the bottom so be sure to mix the gravy up went serving.

Note: I think this tastes better the next day. If you prepare it a day ahead be sure to chill the gravy rapidly in an ice bath to below 40* F, cover and refrigerate. To serve, heat the gravy quickly to a boil and hold in a hot water bath above 140* F.

Chef’s Tip: For a nice finishing touch to the gravy:

1] When the turkey comes out of the oven move the bird to a cutting board,

2] Pour any grease in the roasting pan off and place the pan on top of the stove, on high heat,

3] Splash some white wine in the roasting pan and scrape the bottom to dissolve the drippings

4] Cook 3 minutes to remove the alcohol and whisk into the giblet gravy. Chef’s call this process “deglazing” and it adds flavor and body to a sauce.

Chestnut Stuffing *6 Cups

4 Tablespoons Butter

1/2 Cup Minced Yellow Onion

1/2 Cup Minced Celery

1/4 Cup Carrot, Scraped and Minced

2 Tablespoons Fresh Sage, Finely Chopped

1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Thyme, Branches removed & Finely Chopped

1 Tablespoon Italian Parsley, Stemmed & Finely Chopped

1 1/2 Cups Chestnuts, Finely Chopped [I Use a Frozen Chestnut Which Comes Blanched, Peeled & Roast]

4 Cups Stale Bread Cubes

Turkey or Chicken Stock As Needed

Sea Salt & Black Pepper to Taste

Bring the stock up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Heat the butter in a heavy frying pan large enough for all of the ingredients. Add onions, carrots, celery, sage, thyme and chestnuts to the frying pan and cook 6 minutes on medium-high stirring frequently. Pour out into a large mixing bowl and add the parsley and bread cubes. Add just enough of the hot stock for a good stuffing consistency and mix together well. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Chill rapidly to below 40* F, cover and refrigerate. To serve, place the stuffing in the oven with the turkey, 45 minutes before the turkey will be done. The stuffing should be baked in a separate pan.

Bourbon Glazed Yams Serves 4 as a Side Dish

2 Fresh Carolina Sweet Potatoes, Peeled and Cubed

3 Tablespoons Virginia Gentleman Bourbon

1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

4 Tablespoons Honey

4 Tablespoons Butter

Steam or boil the sweet potatoes until just cooked through, shock in an ice water bath, drain and reserve. To serve, heat the honey and butter in a non-stick sauté pan until it begins to caramelize. Add the cooked sweet potatoes, bourbon & vanilla and flame to burn off the alcohol. Toss the sweet potatoes so they are evenly coated with the glaze. They can be served immediately or placed in the oven with the turkey for the last 20 minutes of the turkeys cooking time.

Mashed Potatoes Serves 4 as a Side Dish

Real mashed potatoes can elevate almost anything they accompany. They also lend themselves to numerous variations. I love adding little surprises to mashed potatoes like kernels of cooked corn or bits of sausage. Truffles are wonderful with these, or try a puree of fresh basil and a little olive oil.

2 Each Idaho Potatoes

2 Tablespoons Plugra Unsalted Butter

1/4 Cup Heavy Cream, Scalded

Sea Salt & Fresh Black Pepper to Taste

Peel potatoes and cut into small pieces. Cook potatoes in water until just cooked through. Pass potatoes through a fine food mill. Whip potatoes with the butter and cream. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Serve very hot.

Champagne-Cranberry Relish *5 Cups

2 Cups Fresh Cranberries

1 750 ml Bottle Champagne or Sparkling Wine

1 Orange, Zest and Juice

1/4 Cup Pecan Pieces, Dry Toasted

Sugar and Sea Salt to Taste

In a non-reactive sauce pan combine cranberries, Champagne, orange zest, orange juice and 1 cup of sugar. Simmer until cranberries are tender. The mixture will thicken and get a little gelatinous. If it gets too thick it can be diluted with additional Champagne, orange juice or water. Cranberries are extremely tart and can take large amounts of sugar to be palatable. I have not specified a quantity of sugar because each batch of cranberries is different. Opinions on the appropriate tartness of cranberry relish are also a topic of great debate. I like it best slightly sweet. Adjust the sweetness to your taste and add a little sea salt. Simmer an additional 3 minutes to fully incorporate the sugar. Remove from heat and stir in the pecans. The relish can be served hot or cold. If you find the flavor a little flat add a splash of pure Vanilla extract.