Skip's Recipe Box: diet

Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

La Mia Casa - Vegan Friendly Menu (final)

La Mia Casa

Vegan Friendly Menu

Friday, October 12, 2012

Executive Chef/General Manager

Harrison Graden Sr.

Sous Chef

Corey Schaefer

Garde Manger

Jason Mather

Andree

Kendall Atkins

Entre’metier

Kyle Baumann

Patisserie

Brittany Gould

Ware Washer

Cal Bell

Server Captain

Tim Constentino

Servers

Noelle Perkowski

Chris Harris

Jon Todd

Chef Instructors

Ellen Piazza

Robert Hertel

STLCC - Forest Park Campus

5600 Oakland

St. Louis MO 63110

Diet,

Flexitarian, Pescaterian

& Vegan

Diet is not a four lettered word, it is what we eat and not what we do!

Flexitarian as defined by Web MD: A relatively new term, flexitarian comes from a combination of the words “flexible” and “vegetarian.” Following a flexitarian diet means eating more plant-based diet and less meat.

Pescaterian as defined by Urban Dictionary: A person who eats fish but no other kinds of meat. Commonly referred to as "vegetarian".

Vegan as defined by About.com: Veganism is a type of vegetarian diet that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients. Many vegans also do not eat foods that are processed using animal products, such as refined white sugar and some wines. Most vegans also avoid use of all products tested on animals, as well as animal-derived non-food products, such as leather, fur, and wool.

The Antipasto

A traditional Italian meal starts with something to nibble on, called antipasto, which translates into English as “before the meal.”

“Mock” Caprese Salad (Vegan)

A refreshing salad made with a marinated tofu, fresh Roma Tomatoes, Basil, and drizzled with Olive Oil and Balsamic Reduction and dusted with Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Black Pepper and Parma Parmesan Cheese.

The Primo

In Italy, pasta is a first course, or primo, served as an appetizer, not as the main event. Soup, rice, and polenta are the options for the primo.

Green Onion & Wild Mushroom Risotto

(Vegan)

This dish is packed with the fresh flavor or Green Onion and given a “meaty” texture with the pungent flavor of wild mushrooms to entice your palate

The Secondo

The main course is called il secondo, or the second course. Chicken, meat, or fish are usual choices, and portions are generally small. These main courses are usually fairly simple, especially if a rich pasta or rice dish precedes them.

Pan Seared Marinated Tofu Picata

(Vegan)

Flavorful and fresh this dish is composed of pan seared marinated tofu that is lightly coated with a seasoned flour and garnished with a flavorful and colorful mix of bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, capers and lemons. With just a drizzle of lemon juice and balsamic reduction and olive oil vinaigrette.

Salmon with Lemon, Capers, and Rosemary

(Pescaterian)

This dish is cooked "al cartoccio" or “en papillote,” which steams the foods in their own flavorful juices and when brought to your table is sure to create a delicate and aromatic dish when opened as a present on a holiday!

The Cortorno

A platter of vegetables usually accompanies the main course. This word contorno loosely translates as “contours” and refers to the fact that the vegetable course helps shape and define the meal.

Roasted Vegetable Medley

with Balsamic Lemon Vinaigrette

(Vegan)

A delightful medley of beets, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, onion and roasted garlic roasted and drizzled with a Balsamic Lemon Vinaigrette.

Cannellini Beans with Garlic and Sage

(Vegan)

High in fiber these beans are a great source of protein and other great nutrients. Creamy and flavorful these are sure to please!

The Dolce

A dolce (or sweet) ends a traditional Italian meal.

Grapefruit Compari Sorbetto

(Vegan)

Served with a Fresh Cranberry Orange Sauce and a Cranberry Orange Biscotti dipped in White Chocolate

(Vegan)

This refreshing desert is sure to awaken and tantalize your taste buds with a combination of sweet and sour, cleansing your palate to continue your day!

Beverages

Sweet Basil Lemonade

Fresh Brewed Iced Tea

Coffee

(Regular and Decaffeinated)

Served with Lemon Wedges, Natural Sugar, and Stevia

Monday, March 5, 2012

What is Diet? A paper for my Nutritional Cooking Class

Harrison “Skip” Graden

Nutritional Cooking - M/T

Spring 2012

Chef David Rell

What is Diet?

Recently, I posed the question, “What is diet?, on my Facebook page. I have several hundred people on my page but only a few responded. Responses that followed were: a four lettered word, it does take four letters to spell diet, a diet is something that sounds good on the first of January, and not so good by the third week of January, a diet is a way of eating. Most people think of it as a way to lose weight quickly when in reality following a proper diet (nutritionally balanced and exercising is the only way to truly lose weight. Another said, Die with a t, and doomed to fail because it is only temporary.

According to our book for Nutritional Cooking, Techniques of Healthy Cooking (CIA), “Diet simply means the foods we normally eat and drink. General consensus is that a diet is something which is controlling and restrictive in nature that we do in order to lose weight or that we are prescribed to follow for health reasons. In fact my Nutrition instructor who is a Registered Dietitian felt that Diet was a bad word and did not wish to discuss it. But as pointed out in the class and book, it is the food and drink which we consume. I conclude all my emails with the following: Diet is not a four lettered word, it is what we eat: it can be healthy or it can be detrimental to our health.

There are hundreds if not thousands of diets out there and many people start and stop them each day. The Daily Mail Reporter from the UK states that “Around one in five of us start a diet at least once a month and more than a third shop for low-calorie food…” and I am guessing that just as many stop their newly begun diets within a short time. The popular diets that I can name without much thought are: Atkins or Low Carb, The Rave Diet, Low Salt, Low Fat, Cholesterol Fat Restrictive, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw, Flexitarian, Juice Fast, Juicing, etc… As well as individual diets prescribed by a person’s Medical Doctor, describing number of calories, food restrictions and additions, etc… Every diet should be accompanied with exercise and a physician’s approval and over-sight.

The New Food Pyramid

A physician’s approval and assistance is important in choosing a diet and exercise regimen in that his/her assistance is vital in picking a diet which is not detrimental to any health issues you may be experiencing. People choose diet not only just to lose weight but to deal with any health conditions that they may be afflicted with. They could be dealing with High Blood Pressure, Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Cancer, Autism, Celiac Disease, Skin Conditions, AIDS, Arthritis, Crohn’s Disease, Lupus, and Fibromyalgia. Whichever disease or ailment you may suffer from many times a proper diet will assist you in healing and recovery.
Many diets such as Vegan, Vegetarian, and Raw Diets make claims to your diet will help the body to heal itself if we do not eat animal products and/or eat foods which have not been cooked over 105 degrees F. Others such as the Juice Diet claim the body when consuming uncooked non animal produced foods will help the body in detoxification and cleansing. Many people who choose the Vegan, vegetarian, or Juice Diets also choose these diets for ethical reasons in not harming other physical living life with blood.

Dr.Mc Dougall who has several studies mentioned on the Rave Diet’s Web site attributes a Vegan or Raw Vegan Diet to the healing and/or recovery of individuals afflicted with many different diseases. They unlike many plans do ask people to include their physicians in all diet changes and plans as well as including an exercise regimen.

There are many films and documentaries about food and healthy eating. Ones in which I have watched and have found interesting are:

1. Supersize Me

2. Eating

3. Food, Inc.

4. Forks over Knives

5. Soul Food Junkies

6. Food Matters

7. Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead

Countless other movies as well as books, cookbooks included are published each year concerning food and the diets of interested to people. This is one reason to use your doctors advice in choosing a plan which is best for you or the advice of a Registered Dietitian or a Licensed Nutritionist.

Whatever advice is given, in the end it comes down to the person who must eat and drink the food. The old adage of you can lead a horse to water but you can not make them drink applies to us as humans with a desire and hunger for foods which are not always the best and healthiest for us.

Food Pyramid that is suggested for People with MS

The Mayo Clinic and Web MD describe the flexitarian diet as a diet which basically one edges into slowly by weeding out foods which are not healthy to where eventually one is consuming a diet which is basically healthier. Healthier in that is primarily made up of a Vegan/Vegetarian Diet with an allowance for Fish or Poultry and then Red Meat maybe once or twice a month. Additionally, the USDA puts out a “Food Pyramid” showing which foods a person should consume with the least important holding the top parts and the most important making the base for how we eat. This Pyramid is updated every five years and this year the Pyramid took a different look.

I have been following this diet for about four years now and have lost slightly over 120 pounds. Over the last four years, I have personally seen my consumption of meats reduce to where I have not seemed to miss them. With the flexitarian diet, one does not suffer a loss of something when it is removed as basically you have weaned yourself from those foods which you have decided are not healthy for you.

Whatever reasons you have for choosing or not choosing a diet, remember you already have a diet. It is what you eat or drink each day and you choose whether it is healthy or unhealthy. I for one who suffer from MS, High Blood Pressure, numerous Food Diseases, and have a family history of diabetes, cancers, and other health issues such as Alzheimer’s have chosen to pursue a healthier diet and to share it with those whom I come into contact with.