Sandra's Kitchen Studio

Not your average Tuna Salad

 

Photograph. Copyright Sandra Gutierrez 2009

Happy New Year everyone!  So here's the story this week. I recently organized a little luncheon meeting for a group of ladies and wouldn't you know that everyone wanted a light and lean menu! No surprise there, as most of us are still upholding our resolutions with quasi-religious fervor.  A light luncheon it had to be but that would not deter me from making it totally delicious. And why not? Eating healthy can be scrumptious, indeed!

I love to entertain. However, one of the downsides of being a food writer is that guests often tell me that they feel intimidated to cook for me because they think I only eat "fru-fru" food. Not so fast, my friends. I think most of you will find that the majority of food writers are anything but hard to please; with a few exceptions, most of us are what I like to call "grateful eaters".  I venture to say on our behalf that most of us are deeply thankful to be invited by someone who offers to cook for us, for a change.  I personally don't expect the latest recipe from a culinary magazine to be presented to me in a perfectly manicured plate. 

Now, before you think I'm wrangling for an invitation, let me tell you why I'm disclosing this. What most people probably do not know is that often, food writers, chefs, and culinary teachers also feel  pressure when hosting guests in their homes. There is this unspoken expectation that the food will be avant-garde and worthy of a five-star rating. So...long ago, I decided that unless the ocassion warranted utmost elegance and proper form of etiquette, I would for the most part entertain only in a casual fashion. Thus, I removed the pressure felt by my guests who felt they would have to cook elaborate meals when they returned the invitation and from myself, freeing us to enjoy our mutual company and delight in good but simple food.

So for this latest lunch repast, I decided to offer a healthy tuna salad sandwich, paired with a simple, low-fat, soup.  In order to make it figure-friendly, I simply dressed the salad with freshly squeezed lime juice--no mayonnaise, no oil. Scrumptious add-ins added crunch, color, fiber and tons of flavor; these were different enough to make it interesting, such as piquillo peppers and black olives. I took a trip to my local store for a good loaf of natural and organic whole wheat bread to make sandwiches. For the soup, I simply whipped together a quick, low-fat, corn chowder, which I embellished with chipotle powder for a smoky taste.  The meal was readied in 20 minutes, as the chowder simmered while I prepared the salad.

To me, simple is better, as this meal proves. Everyone ate well, enjoyed the conversation and we got our work done, feeling good that we had also enjoyed a healthy and delicious lunch. The food was at the center of our meeting but was not the overriding theme.

 

And the best part is that someone else decided to organize the next meeting at her house. The theme of choice for our next luncheon? You guessed it! Soup and a Sandwich!  Enjoy the recipe for my salad below.

 

Sandra's Healthy and Delicious Tuna Salad

 

2 (12 ounce) cans of solid white albacore tuna, drained well

1/2 English cucumber, seeded and chopped finely

1/4 cup chopped Piquillo peppers

1/4 cup sliced black olives

1/4 cup minced red onion

Lime juice, Salt and Pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, toss all of the ingredients together well. Season with lime, salt and pepper to taste. Makes 6 servings.

Copyright. Sandra Gutierrez 2009; All Rights Reserved.

 

Healthy Breakfast Class

Scrambled Rancher Eggs and Beef with Tortilla Straw and Yogurt

 

Last week, I had the great pleasure of teaching a cooking class for the Food Bank Of Western Massachusetts. The theme for the class was: "Healthy Latin Breakfast On-the- Go". The objective was to teach members of the Food Bank agencies how to prepare healthy and delicious breakfast menus using foods readily available to them.  My goal was to develop quick and easy Latin recipes that offered them novel and nutritious options for breakfast, as well as to inspire my students to take a few minutes every day to cook succulent and healthy meals for their families.

Research shows that children who start each day with a healthy meal perform better at school. However many go to school without any real sustenance in their system. Highly-sugared breakfast cereals seem like the most economical breakfast meals at hand but there are healthier options that offer protein--so needed for a lasting feeling of satiety--and vitamins. I wanted to show eager parents how to cook healthier options on a budget. At no other time is it more imperative to remind people to take care of themselves and to include breakfast in their daily routine than when the economy turns sour. Most people react to this situation by attempting to cut corners and skip this most important meal of the day. At issue are the cost of ingredients and the element of time.

However, aided by the generous assistance of food banks all over our nation, many are finding that breakfast is once more available to their families. I had one secret to share with my class: Latin food is not  expensive.  Ours is a cuisine born of simplicity and need and therefore offers a tremendously exciting array of culinary possibilities that do not break the budget.

In addition to creating these healthy and economical Latin recipes for my students, I added two utterly important elements for each dish: First, the food needed to be quick to prepare and second, it had to have great aesthetic appeal.

As people become more preoccupied with solving their problems they dedicate less time to themselves; therefore my recipes had to take as little time as possible from start to finish, so I provided my students with make-ahead tips and easy steps so they could have breakfast readied in minutes.  During my class I reminded them why we all deserve to give ourselves a gift of time for health every day, no matter the level of difficulty of our individual economic situations.  It is more than okay to take care of ourselves by feeding our bodies and comforting our souls--this is the meaning of "comfort foods" .

By  making each dish look beautiful we automatically start the day with a positive outlook. Everyone deserves to eat healthy, delicious, beautiful, and nutritious food every day. Pretty food is not only for fancy ocassions--a little bit of color, some interesting textural differences, a touch of elegance is at everyone's reach on a daily basis. I encouraged each one of them to claim some beauty for themselves every morning and lift their spirits every day. It is a gift of kindness to self and family; it is a daily offering of love and dignity that is free for all.

My enthusiastic students joined me in shaping delicious Pupusas and helped to fill healthy breakfast Quesadillas; we created my new-fangled version of Huevos Rancheros and made our dishes look gorgeous in the process. What follows below is the menu of my class and one of the recipes we cooked together. I left that evening with the strong feeling that I had shared many exciting options for healthy Latin breakfasts and with a clear reminder of why I love teaching others how to cook.  What they gave me in return was worth so much more than anything I offered them: A gift of inspiration and hope for a better future.

"Healthy On-the-Go Latin Breakfast"

Huevos Revueltos a la Ranchera con Carne, Paja de Tortillas y Yogurt (Scrambled Rancher Eggs and Beef with Tortilla Straw and Yogurt)

Sincronizadas con Pico de Maiz (Ham and Cheese Quesadillas with Corn Pico)

Pupusas de Frijoles con Tomate Y Curtido (Black Bean Salvadorian Masa Cakes with Sauce and Slaw)

Huevos Revueltos a la Ranchera con Carne, Paja de Tortilla y Yogurt

4 corn tortillas

Cooking Spray

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 jalapenos, seeded (fresh or pickled)

1 cup chopped onion

1 (10-ounce) can tomatoes

1/2 pound ground beef

Salt and Pepper to taste

6 eggs beaten

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup chopoped cilantro

Slice tortillas into very thin strips; place them in a baking sheet and coat them with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the tortilla strips until they are a nice golden color; remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool. (May be prepared up to 3 days ahead of time and kept in a bag at room temperature). In a blender combine the garlic cloves, jalapenos, onion, and tomatoes; blend until smooth. In a large non-stick skillet add the ground beef and brown; drain the fat off and add the blended vegetable sauce. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly, over medium-high heat; season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the sauce to a separate bowl (if you need to the sauce can be prepared ahead of time and kept chilled for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to 1 month). Add the beaten eggs to the skillet and cook, while stirring, to scramble them to your liking. Serve the eggs topped with the beef sauce; top with a dollop of yogurt. Sprinkle with some of the tortilla strips and with the chopped cilantro.  Yield 4-6 servings.

Copyright. Sandra Gutierrez, 2008; All Rights Reserved.

Good For You Salmon

I do not recommend marinating the fish any longer in this marinade or the lemon juice will actually begin to “cook” the fish, thus breaking it down.  You can prepare the marinade ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator for a couple of days; then proceed with the recipe when ready to cook.
Recipe Yield: 4 Servings.

4 fillets of salmon (6-8 oz. each)
1/4cup olive oil
2Tbsp. Fresh lemon juice
1Tbsp. Dill, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Zest of one lemon
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a non-reactive glass dish, place salmon fillets side by side.  In a non-reactive bowl, whisk together the marinade by combining the olive oil, lemon juice, dill, garlic and zest together.  Pour marinade over the salmon and allow the fish to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill until very hot.  Brush the grill pan or grids of the grill with oil and place the fish skin side down; grill for 4 minutes.  Turn fish over to the other side and grill until it is done to your taste.  Remove from pan or grill and season fish with salt and pepper; serve hot or at room temperature. 
©Copyright Sandra Gutierrez 2007. All Rights Reserved.