Healthy Cooking that Tastes Good? No Problem!

As one of the bootcamp trainers for Fast Action Training, I was excited about the upcoming 1 year anniversary party. As a nutrition counselor and coach to many of the members, I of course offered to provide all the food for the event. With so many recipes to pull from, I thought for sure I would create something incredible. Then it hit me, I have never cooked for something this big before, the true challenge was clear...what could I make that would be healthy, mostly vegetables, support the health goals of the members, taste delicious AND serve 70 people?

So I did what any intelligent person would do- I called my mother.

I must tell you however, that this isn't an ordinary situation of calling your mother for a good recipe when you have taken on too much and are in over your head. My mother is the founder of The Personal Chef, and is a seasoned culinary professional. I can't remember how young I was the first time I was given jobs in the kitchen....and let me add that they were not the fun jobs...think picking cilantro leaves off the stems or deveining shrimp (gross).

So of course I knew she would come to my rescue and help me plan the perfect menu and deliver an amazing finished product. Even when I found out she would be out of town and unable to help me with the actual prep, I was confident in my abilities to plan, shop and cook for 70 people. After all, this is what I had subconsciously learned from years of watching her do this. A quick phone conversation later, I had my recipes and was ready to rock, although I underestimated how much math is required when making 4x or even 6x a recipe! I never got so much use out of my kitchen calculator!

In the end, I was calm and relaxed cooking for two days before the party. And of course the day of, everything turned out amazing and I was even ready on time :) With so many wonderful comments and feedback from Fast Action Training members, I decided to not only share two of the recipes but credit the amazing woman, Beth Stern, who gave me the tools to make it all possible.

Chinese Summer Noodle Salad
1 lb of fresh Chinese noodles (or soba noodles)
1 tbs of peanut oil
1 cup blanched asparagus, cut 1 inch long on the diagonal
1 cup roasted eggplant, julienne
1 cup roasted and peeled red pepper, julienne
black sesame seeds to garnish

Spicy Sesame Peanut Dressing
1/4 chunky low fat peanut butter
1 tsp garlic, chopped
2 Tbs peanut oil
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 Tbs reduced sodium tamari (wheat free soy sauce)
1 1/2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup low sodium organic chicken broth
1 1/2 Tbs organic sugar
hot chili oil, TT

Preparing the noodles: Drop the noodles into 4-quarts of boiling water and with chopsticks, stir to separate the strands. Reduce to medium heat and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Transfer the noodles to large bowl and toss with the oil. Refrigerate until ready to assemble the salad

Dressing: Mix all ingredients in the processor or blender except the oil and process slightly. Add the oil in a steady stream. Correct seasoning and reserve.


To Serve: Toss the noodles with dressing. Scatter vegetable (dressed also) over the top and mix slightly. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve cold or at room temperature. Serves 8-10


Brown Rice Salad
1 cup brown rice, cooked in a rice steamer with low sodium organic chicken broth
1/4 lb snow peas, blanched and cut on the diagonal
1 scallion, finely sliced
1/4 cup cashews, halved

Dressing
1/4 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 1/2 Tbs reduced sodium Tamari
1 1/2 Tbs rice wine vinegar
4 1/2 Tbs canola oil

Combine cooled fluffed rice with peas, scallions and cashews. Dress slightly 1 hour before serving. Finish dressing when ready to serve. Serves 4-6