Author: Jim Romanoff
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Rosh Hashanah: A fresh take on comfort foods
Laura Frankel thinks about Rosh Hashanah in simple terms. “A time for mom to shine,” says Frankel, executive chef at Spertus, a Jewish culture and learning center in Chicago. That’s because the Jewish new year, which is the first high holy day to occur each autumn, usually isn’t celebrated with the sort of big gathering you might have…
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A Classic for Hanukkah: slowly braised brisket
A beef brisket supper is associated with many of the Jewish holidays, but perhaps none more regularly than Hanukkah. And there’s a good reason — the festival of lights lasts a full eight days and always includes a Friday night Sabbath meal. Sure, brisket is an inexpensive yet delicious cut that feeds a crowd and…
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Grill flavor right into your salad
If you want to add great flavor to foods without using the usual tricks — fat and salt — just head to the grill. The high and dry heat created by the grill does an excellent job searing food surfaces and locking in natural flavors, while also adding that unmistakable charred, smoky flavor. And this…
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Speedy summer meal doesn’t rely on takeout
Beautiful weather and longer days often mean a good, home-cooked supper falls by the wayside. Who wants to be standing around in the kitchen, right? But don’t give in to the temptation of greasy takeout or frozen dinners. There are plenty of shortcuts that can help you get a healthy meal on the table in…
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Healthy ice cream starts with ingredients you can pronounce
The term low-fat ice cream is somewhat of an oxymoron. After all, it’s in large part the butterfat in cream and whole milk that gives the frozen treat its luxurious texture and taste. Apart from the real deal — made using a custard of cream, egg yolks and lots of sugar — there are plenty…
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Classic dinner-size salad gets healthy makeover
Restaurant diners hoping to lighten their load often go for salads. The usual suspects? The grilled-chicken Caesar, the Cobb and Chinese chicken salad. Here’s the problem — they’re not always as light as you might think. At one popular national chain, the Chinese chicken salad has almost 25 grams of fat and the Cobb salad…
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An Asian-Italian take on spinach cannelloni
East and West combine for these cannelloni, which are made by rolling a very Italian-style filling of spinach, cheese, mushrooms and roasted red peppers in Asian-style egg roll wrappers. Ricotta cheese combined with tangy goat cheese gives the filling some bite, but if you prefer you can use all ricotta for milder results. Here we’ve…
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Keep seafood healthy and crunchy without frying
Seafood has lots of offer a healthy diet. Much of it is lean, and even the fattier varieties are loaded with the so-called good fats. Keeping it healthy is all a matter of how you cook it. Poaching and steaming are good techniques because they highlight flavors and preserve moistness without adding much fat.If you’re…
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Pasta makes the most of spring herbs, veggies
For the dedicated kitchen gardener, winter can be a tough period limited to leafing through seed catalogs and stretching the remnants of whatever was canned or frozen from last season’s harvest. Then comes springtime. In some gardens the first crop of peas is planted as early as St. Patrick’s Day and harvested before the summer…
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Lighten up classic guacamole with spring peas
The flesh of a ripe Hass avocado is so luxuriously buttery and creamy you know from the first bite that it’s loaded with fat. The great news is that it nevertheless is good for you. The fat in an avocado is mostly the healthier monounsaturated kind, similar to olive and nut oils. Avocados also contain…