My first cooking lessons were given to me by my father, who (happily) fried everything.
It’s me, Beth.)
My mission: Learn easy ways to fix light, tasty meals at home.
For me, this felt like my own personal culinary Mount Everest.
Healthy cooking now feels almost effortless, and it can for you, too.
Salad dressing has derailed at least seven of my diets.
Fat-free varieties are either bitter or icky sweet, so I end up skipping salads altogether.
The spa version uses thickened nonfat vegetable stock, which uncannily resembles emulsified olive oil, as a base.
Soon you’ll be buying greens in bulk and jeans in a smaller size.
Try it inRed Chile and Pecan Slaw.
2.Bring 28 oz leftover stock to a boil in a medium saucepan.
Reduce heat to a simmer and slowly whisk in stock-cornstarch mixture.
Stir stock rapidly as it thickens.
3.Stir until stock is the consistency of olive oil.
(It should cling to the back of a spoon.)
Cool to room temperature, skim off and discard any film on top.
Makes 18 oz thickened stock.
Think chopping veggies is tedious?
I did, toountil I learned these professional techniques, which apply to most firm veggies.
Master these knife skills and you could easily double your veggie intake.
Try it inGrilled Pork Loin With Fire-Roasted Pineapple Salsa.
1.Slice off both ends of pepper; stand it upright and cut down one side, top to bottom.
Unroll; slice out veins and seeds.
As you work, the top of the knife handle should rub the bottom of your index finger.
2.Use a cleaver to cut pepper into 4 sections and stack in twos, skin down.
Make a claw with hand holding pepper, curling fingertips so they secure the veggie firmly.
Tuck thumb under fingers to prevent accidents.
Use area of blade close to handle to gain more power.
Turn slices 90 degrees and chop again to dice finely.
Spa-chef bonus tipUse a big cleaver and your hand won’t hit the board as you work.
Plus, the wide blade doubles as a tray to transport veggies.
I’ve avoided sauteing since.
That ladle of oil my coworkers would dump in?
Sauteing intensifies flavor with little fat.
Try it inSonoran Shrimp Scampi.
1.Heat a saute pan to medium high.
The food should sizzle when it hits, creating a flavor-sealing sear.
2.Stir ingredients, or flip to heat more evenly.
Practice with a cold pan and bread.
Add juice or stock to create a flavorful sauce.
Save juicy fruit for last, as liquid cools the pan.
Say the wordphylloand I hearfattening,as in strudel and spinach pie.
In reality, the pastry is your ticket to healthy indulgence.
Each sheet is a slim 57 calories and can be filled with fruit, veggies, even lean meat.
Don’t let phyllo’s hard-to-work-with rep scare you.
It’s like a difficult but fair bosstough until you know the tricks, then liberally rewarding.
Try it inStrawberry Cheesecake Cookie Stacks.
1.Phyllo dries out quickly, so set out everything you need, then fire up the package.
Drag the top sheet off the pile and onto a dry cutting board.
Roll the rest up in its wax paper; cover with a damp cloth.
3.Repeat with each layer.
The more you stack, the flakier your pastry.
Bake at 350 for 5 to 7 minutes.
Before my culinary awakening, I bought wash-and-eat fruit such as apples (yawn).
Getting at thick-skinned fruit seemed like too much effort.
But this versatile technique makes all sorts of fruit and new, tasty recipes accessible.
Now I top meat with fresh relish so sweet that after dinner, dessert doesn’t cross my mind.
1.Slice off both ends of pineapple, then stand it upright.
2.With pineapple upright, cut it into quarters so you’re left with 4 tall triangular pieces.
On each piece, slice away the core (the pointy “tip” of each triangular piece).
3.Once cored, lay each piece of the fruit flat on cutting board to cube or dice.
Chop 2 to 4 sections at once for speedier slicing.
While cutting, keep fingers curled in a claw.
The knife is less likely to slip and slice more than the fruit!
Photo Credit: Ann Stratton