As promised...

this weeks recipes are some of my favorite healthy ones I made last week. My family enjoyed them all and I hope yours will too. A couple notes, I have included a recipe for a classic vinaigrette, whether I am dieting or not I make a salad almost every night and I always make my own salad dressing, it is so much healthier and tastier, I highly recommend using a good quality aged balsamic vinegar, it makes all the difference. Then throw in whatever you have, I always like sliced red onion, an avocado is very good for you and I usually put in just a little cheese, blue cheese and goat cheese are my favorites. Also, take a look at the article on eggs, my new favorite breakfast. I made the most delicious discovery, I had left over toasted barley, put it on a plate and reheated it in the microwave, and then placed a poached egg on top. It was so delicious, healthy and was not even hungry when lunchtime rolled around! Enjoy, the recipes and happy cooking!

Benefits of Grapeseed Oil

The health benefits of grapeseed oil make it a versatile and guilt free choice when it comes to a cooking oil. Although not as high in monounsaturated fat as olive oil, it has a higher concentration of these "heart healthy" fats than most other forms of oil. Even more importantly, a 1993 study showed that an ounce and a half of grapeseed oil per day decreased LDL cholesterol by seven percent and raised HDL cholesterol by thirteen percent. As you know, HDL cholesterol is the good cholesterol, so you want the number to be high.

Because of its high smoke point,grapeseed oil is a versatile cooking oil. It's the perfect oil for sautéing at high temperatures and for cooking popcorn on the stove or grilling meat where a high heat is required. The smoke point of grapeseed oil is around 485 degrees Farenheit in comparison to olive oil which smokes at about 250 degrees Farenheit. You only need about a third to a half of the amount of oil when you cook with grapeseed oil when compared to other oils. This makes it quite economical.

If you're accustomed to the rich taste of olive oil, grapeseed oil may seem blander, almost neutral with slight nutty undertones. This can be an advantage in recipes where you want the texture of fat without the overbearing taste of an oil with strong flavor. In applications where you want a more outspoken oil adding herbs and spices can give additional flavor impact.

Dieting? Eggs May Help You Lose

Dieting? Eggs May Help You Lose
For years eggs have gotten a bad rap due to their comparatively high levels of cholesterol, and the egg breakfast has become to some degree a thing of the past. Studies of satiety (how satisfying a food is) indicate that eggs may be more satisfying than, say, a similar number of calories in a bagel form. One study appeared to indicate that eggs for breakfast might actually mean fewer calories eaten at lunch.

In a study recently published in the International Journal of Obesity ((2008) 21, 1545-1551), researchers tried to take advantage of eggs' higher satiating effect by harnessing that effect for weight loss. If eggs are more satisfying on a long-term basis than the same number of calories in a bagel form, they reasoned, then eating eggs for breakfast might actually mean eating less over the course of a day without feeling deprived. Theoretically, then, eating eggs for breakfast might help you lose weight without really trying.

Armed with that theory, the researchers recruited just over 150 overweight but otherwise healthy men and women to participate in their eight-week feeding study. The participants were randomly assigned to one of two types of breakfast: either two eggs for breakfast (scrambled) five days per week or the same number of calories in a bagel breakfast five days per week. Half of the the egg eaters and half of the bagel eaters also reduced their total daily intake by about 200 calories per day, to produce a total deficit of 1000 calories per week.

Contrary to their theory, those eating eggs for breakfast without reducing the number of calories they ate did not lose weight. However, of those participants who had reduced their caloric intake, those who had eggs for breakfast tended to lose 65% more weight than those who had bagels for breakfast. They also reduced their Body Mass Index by an additional 61% over the bagel breakfasters, while also seeing a 34% greater reduction in their waist circumference.

“What about their cholesterol levels?” you may ask. Interestingly, at the end of the eight weeks of the study there was no significant difference in cholesterol levels between the bagel breakfasters and the egg breakfasters, regardless of whether they were reducing their total caloric intake or not.

What this means for you
As I've said on numerous occasions, eggs are not bad for you. This study indicates that when you're trying to lose weight by reducing your daily calories, they may actually help you lose weight. Just why this is true is still something of a mystery, however. Still, if you like having eggs for breakfast, quit worrying and enjoy them!

Eat well, eat healthy, enjoy life!

Timothy S. Harlan, M.D.
Dr. Gourmet

Recipes

Lettuce Wraps

1 lb. lean ground beef, ground chicken or ground turkey breast
1 Tbls. grapeseed oil or canola oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
3 Tbls. soy sauce
¼ cup hoisin sauce
2 Tbls. Thai red chili paste (more if you like it hotter)
1 Tbls. sesame oil
1 oz. can water chestnuts diced
½ cup diced green onion
1/3 cup water
butter lettuce or iceberg lettuce leaves

Brown meat, drain and set aside. In a large sauté pan, add the oil and sauté ginger and garlic, add the meat and remaining ingredients, let simmer until water is reduced down, 10-15 minutes. Scoop meat onto lettuce leaf and fold. Makes about 12 lettuce leaves.

Lemon Parmesan Chicken with Toasted Asparagus Barley

4 chicken breasts; pounded flat
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
½ cup flour
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
3 eggs
1 lemon

Mix together panko and parmesan cheese. Season flour with salt and pepper. Mix together eggs. Use the standard breading procedure; dredge chicken in flour, egg and then panko mixture. Sauté in a non stick skillet with about 2 Tbls. olive oil or grapeseed oil. Place on sheet pan and finish in 400 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes to finish cooking, time will depend on thickness of the chicken breast. Just before serving squeeze lemon over chicken.

Toasted barley with asparagus

3/4 cup barley
one bunch of asparagus or sliced sautéed mushrooms
olive oil
1 cup chicken stock

Toast barley in a medium sixe pot with about 2 Tbls. olive oil, stirring frequently for about 7 minutes, add stock and simmer about 15 minutes. Barley should still have some firmness to it, toss with diced asparagus.

Wash and dry asparagus and break off woody part of the stem. Brush lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Either roast in 400 degree oven for 18-20 minutes or you can grill turning occasionally until all sides are charred (not burned). Cut into about 2 inch pieces.


Classic Vinaigrette

1 Tbls. dijon mustard
2 ½ Tbls. balsamic vinegar
Sea Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 cup olive oil or grapeseed oil

Combine all ingredients except olive oil & s&p
in a bowl of a food processor. Slowly pour in
oil to form an emulsification. Season to taste
with s&p OR whisk by hand.

Poached Eggs

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. The water should be at least five or six inches deep (the deeper the better).
When the water boils, add about a tbsp. vinegar for every pint or so of water. Taste to make sure the level is right. The vinegar should be barely noticeable.
Lower the water to a slow simmer.
Carefully crack one egg into a measuring cup or large ladle.
Lower the cup or ladle into the water and pour the egg out as gently as possible.
The egg white will coagulate in the water and turn white. Most eggs will take between two and three minutes for the white to cook but leave the yolk still runny. Remove the egg at this point with a slotted spoon.
Repeat with remaining eggs. You can poach several eggs at once in the same pot.
 

Made by Lena