Due to the fact Hurricane Fay was headed my way, I received lots of e-mail from friends and colleagues wondering how things went.  I’m happy to report - where I live - there wasn’t even a drop of rain.  Throughout the night, wicked winds blew, but I didn’t notice any damage this morning.  We were spared …

Otherwise, here’s some news for those always asking when they can “see” me:   I’ll be appearing on WFLA News Channel 8 (NBC) September 10th.  At some point during the daytime show (I’ll let you know when), I’ll be chatting about grass-fed beef.  If you’re not in my market, the show is syndicated in Raleigh, NC, Jacksonville, FL, Washington DC, Savanna, GA, Charleston, SC, Columbus, OH, Las Vegas, NV and Wichita, KS.
 
Tune in, and let me know what you think!

I like to write thoughtful blog entries.  Having been an editor, I can’t find it in myself to “twitter” a few lines or ramble on about something that’s really not of any value. 

Maybe, I’m just getting older.  I think it was the German Philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche who said, “Profundity of thought belongs to youth, clarity of thought to age.”

Truthfully, it was a colleague of mine, Doug Ronan, former Director of Marketing at Häagen-Dazs, who said to me the other day, “You really need to blog more!  You travel frequently, engage in exciting professional activities, and formulate great insights along the way.  It’s a waste not to share your experiences!”

So, I’ll be honest and admit I’ve been shamed into posting this log – and that’s terrible!  I love blogging and the dialog that goes with it, but I’ve been so busy these past ten weeks, I’ve barely had time to write my grocery list…

Where have I been?  Well, I’ve canned tomatoes in Alabama, had an audience with acclaimed author and former ABC News co-anchor Cokie Roberts to learn about her new book We Are Our Mother’s Daughters, cycled through California exploring farm stands and organic markets and, most recently, enjoyed New Orleans’ annual Tales of the Cocktail.

For those not familiar, Tales of the Cocktail is a five-day culinary and cocktail festival held annually in the French Quarter and features award-winning mixologists, authors, bartenders and cocktail events such as dinner-pairings, demos and tastings, seminars, mixing competitions, design expos, book-signings and more.  Pencil into your calendar next year’s event which will be around the same time (July 16 – July 20).  The exact dates will be posted on their official website in the coming months.

Everyone who is anyone flocks to the event, and the program is as good as the people watching.  On the media front, a bevy of reporters were busy filing stories in the Media Room, but I enjoyed Eric Felton’s piece about the event that appeared in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal. One of the great take-aways for me was a recipe demo for Bananas Foster Frappe made with fat-free cream and ice cream.  What a find!

Mount Gay Bananas Foster Frappe
Makes about 8 servings 

 

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup Mount Gay Eclipse Rum
3 bananas, peeled
Juice of 1/2 lemon (approx 1/4 oz.)
1/3 cup Sugar in the Raw
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. Grand Marnier (or Orange Liqueur)
1/2 tsp. banana extract
3/4 cup fat-free half-and-half
3 cups fat-free vanilla ice cream (slightly softened) 

 DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
• Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray
• Slice bananas length-wise and then into 1 inch chunks.  Add the bananas to a mixing bowl, along with the lemon juice, sugar, orange liqueur, and cinnamon.  Toss gently.
• Place the banana mixture onto the baking dish and cook until mix is soft (approx. 10 mins.)  Allow to cool thoroughly.
• Add banana mixture and accumulated syrup to blender, along with the extract, rum, half-and-half, and ice cream.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into chilled wine goblet.
• Garnish with sliced strawberries if desired

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

While today’s blog is brief, the link to which I’m directing you is rich with content.  That’s because it’s my new website!  Check out www.gourmetnutritionist.com, and let me know what you think!
 

From oysters and crawfish to Po’Boys and turtle soup, New Orleans is a great place to be if you love to eat.

Institutions like Brennan’s (www.brennansneworleans.com) , Arnaud’s (www.arnauds.com) , Antoine’s (www.antoines.com) and Café Du Monde (http://www.cafedumonde.com/) always offer a taste of history alongside a terrific French Creole meal. 

But when you’re in this town for several days, and you don’t want to go home several pounds heavier, you might want to take a little break from the rich cream sauces and powdery beignets.  What to do?  Try MiLa (http://www.milaneworleans.com), where taste isn’t sacrificed for a serving of health and a lot of tradition.

Chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing are from Mississippi and Louisiana, respectively, so their menu is inspired by their Southern heritage; however, they use fresh produce, purchased daily, from local purveyor Lujele Farms in Mount Hermon, Louisianna, so every lunch, brunch and dinner option is fresh, “clean” and explodes with flavors.

I enjoyed a meal there yesterday when a colleague of mine and I tried dishes including a light-as-air Mirliton Veloute with Louisiana Crawfish and Lobster Oil; a delicate Filo-Crusted Redfish with Wilted Heirloom Spinach; a crisp salad of Farm Arugula with Homemade Duck Ham, Pears and Red Wine Vinaigrette and the most tender cornbread with lima bean puree.

As chic a restaurant as it is good, MiLa is a find.  Seek it out the next time you’re in town.

Today finds me at the 30th Annual Conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (http://www.iacp.com).  For those of you not familiar with the organization, the IACP is an international association for individuals in the culinary field, including food stylists and writers, publishers and chefs.  The IACP is always an amazing forum for the exchange of information and, more important, inspiration, on a global level.  Being here feels like a privilege!

There are workshops and Master Classes given, along with culinary showcases and seminars, and the people here are the nicest and most talented you’ll ever meet.

Yesterday, for example, I had the opportunity to chat with author Robert J. Heiss.  His book, The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide (http://www.amazon.com) is nominated this year for the IACP Award of Excellence, a coveted award given to members whose unending pursuit of excellence embody the highest standards of the association.

The Story of Tea is a beautifully-photographed resource that enlightens, excites and answers every question about tea you might have, doing so in an accessible, highly enjoyable way.

I also had the opportunity to learn what fellow foodie bloggers are doing, and below is a great list of resources you might want to check out.  Enjoy!

http://chezpim.typepad.com - Pim Techamuanvivit is a globetrotting gourmand whose entries are entertaining, fun and informative.  Her stories are a hoot; her passion comes through in her writing, and her blog links are super resources for those who want to connect with others with similar interests.

http://aromacucina.typepad.com/aroma_cucina - Chef and writer Judith Klinger is a resident of both New York and Modena, Italy.  Her passion for Italian culture, culinary history, cooking and baking pervade her site.  Bookmark it!

http://kitchen-notebook.blogspot.com - Leon, France-based Lucy Vanel writes Lucy’s Kitchen, a blog that most of us just dream about.  Lucy is an author and photographer – not to mention a phenomenal cook – and reading her blog is an escape. 

Stay tuned for more updates from New Orleans!

Sexuality is part of being human.  But I’m constantly amazed by all the spam I receive about potions and magic pills that will make you better, bigger, stronger, and on and on.  You know.  You get the same e-mail I do.

It was these e-mail that sparked the idea for my most recent blog talk radio show, “Sexy Foods.”

No, some foods aren’t sexier than others, but eating certain foods and following a diet with the right carbohydrate, protein and fat ratio CAN make you better in bed.  In fact, there is an important relationship between overall health, lifestyle and sexual satisfaction.

Research also suggests that certain physical conditions which go along with obesity can negatively affect sex drive, further dampening the desires of those who are overweight.

According to doctors and dietitians, there is good news:  It’s never too late to make even small lifestyle changes to enhance your libido, increase your energy levels and improve your body image.

Just click on the link below to hear the show!

“Sexy Foods” Radio Show

Too Good to Resist!

I was never a fan (or follower) of low-carb diets; I always felt they were more hype than help and frustrating for those stuck in a cycle of weight loss and re-gain.

Recently, I’ve been reading about the growing interest in “resistant starches” and their potential to expedite weight loss, prevent high blood pressure and protect against diabetes. 

While you might not know much about resistant starches, I’m willing to bet you’ve been eating them for a long time.  That said, I thought I’d devote today’s entry to this good-for-you carbohydrate.

Resistant starch is actually a type of fiber found naturally in potatoes, beans and legumes (black-eyed peas, kidney and soy beans, lentils, etc.) and grains (brown rice, barley, etc.).  How it got its name is that it “resists” digestion and doesn’t go into the bloodstream, and since it can’t be absorbed or digested, it doesn’t act like other carbohydrates which are stored as body fat when you eat too much.

Here are some other benefits:

• Resistant starches help control blood sugar levels.  After you eat a meal containing resistant starches, blood sugar and insulin levels are depressed.  This is encouraging news for those with diabetes.
• Research indicates that butyrate, a good-for-you fatty acid produced by the digestion of resistant starches, may help prevent
  colon cancer
• Resistant starch also triggers satiety-inducing hormones, so a meal including potatoes or beans may prompt you to eat less
  and feel full sooner

So, add yams, corn and bananas to your shopping list and do your body good!

Last week, many of you tuned in to my ChefsLine (http://www.chefsline.com/) interview on Blog Talk Radio.  For those of you who missed it, I’ve attached an audio clip of the segment (show_vday.mp3 ).  Several hundred people downloaded the broadcast onto their iPods, so it was great knowing the spot was popular!

If you’re listening to the clip for the first time, let me know if you have questions about what was discussed.  I’d be happy to respond to your queries!

One of my favorite authors, Robert Lewis Stevenson (who was also a prolific travel writer and poet), wrote a poem called Requiem.  Two verses at the very end state:

Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.

It is a gorgeous poem, and taking these verses out of context is tragic, but doing so helps me make a point:  I have returned!

It’s been nearly six months since I’ve last written an entry, but lots of opportunistic things have happened in the interim:

• I’m now a free agent working on writing assignments for magazines and newspapers
• I’ve begun doing blog talk radio shows, the next being this Thursday, February 14th.  Tune in at 5:00PM eastern time to  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/chefsline.  We’ll be chatting about (what else?) dessert!
• I’m working on a nutrition and culinary-related book proposal
• I’m continuing to provide corporate and private clients with nutrition solutions for just about every need or challenge

Having transferred my blog to another sever, I’m ready to resume answering your nutrition questions, chatting about nutrition news of the day or sharing tips and hints for cooking and eating well.

I’ll look forward to hearing from you!

My peer, the always inquisitive Jeannie Houchins, MA, RD, has been making the most of the dog days of summer. I thought you’d enjoy her insights about the goodies that await at your local farmer’s market…

It’s August and summer is in its prime. This also means that you have a short window to taste summer’s bounty.

I recently visited my favorite Chicago farmer’s market also known as the Green City Market. This has yet to disappoint as I’m always amazed at the variety of produce, artisanal cheeses and home baked goods that are offered.

I get to speak with the growers and producers who are passionate about feeding and genuinely making people happy one tummy at a time. Green City Market takes a step further by offering culinary demonstrations from locals chefs using produce that’s offered at the market that day…truly illustrating the farm to table concept. While eating local is chic, eating with flavor is what keeps me going back for more.

To take advantage of a farmers market in your area visit localharvest.org. Don’t wait too long - before you know it’ll be fall!