
A Personal Chef Service
Food to Fuel Your Mountain Adventures!
Guidelines for Cooking Full Flavored, Healthy Food
Flavor First
When cooking for health flavor should be a top priority, healthy food that no one wants to eat does not make us healthier!
Use Culinary Technique to Develop Flavor
Simple techniques like caramelizing, high temperature grilling, pan searing, macerating fruits and vegetables, as well as reducing stocks and juices can add healthy flavors to a dish.
Incorporate Natural Flavorings as much as Possible
Natural flavorings such as fresh herbs, spices, chili peppers, fresh ginger, garlic and different types of onions bring bold flavors to your dishes and help reduce the need to utilize fat, sugar and salt in your recipes.
Use Fruits and Vegetables Throughout Your Menu
Focus on incorporating as much fruit and in veg into everything you cook, don’t just use them as sides. For instance, use salsas, slaws and finely cut salads as sauces, embellish your starch sides such as rice, pasta and potatoes with additional produce, this will not only make them healthier, but they will also look and taste better as well.
​
Mix Whole Grains and Legumes with Processed Grains
While I absolutely love Jasmine rice and a big bowl of fettuccine, the reality is that they are processed grains that have been stripped of most of their nutrients. Conversely, whole grains and legumes like quinoa and Black Beluga lentils, are loaded in nutrients, but are dark in color and heavy on the palate and in turn can be a challenge for some eaters. A good solution is to mix a processed grain with a whole grain or legume. This will not only increase the nutritional value of your dish, but it will also make them more eye appealing as well.
​
​
Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go-to font for titles, paragraphs & more.
​Utilize Provisional Salts Wisely
There are many delicious foods that we commonly eat that are loaded in salt, such as olives, capers, soy sauce and hard cheeses like Parmesan, I call these provisional salts. I will add these to dishes as a way to cut down on the actually salt that I season with. In addition, these foods bring a much more diverse flavor than plain salt.
Consider Going Meat Minimalistic
While there is no doubt that a vegetarian diet that is loaded in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes is extremely healthy, for some eaters completely giving up meat is a no go. In addition, meat, particularly beef, is extremely rich in nutrients, but its fat profile can be problematic. A good solution is to simply reduce the amount of meat you include in your menu. The key to success with this is ensuring that the accompanying sides in your meal are really tasty!
Look to Ethnic Cuisines for Inspiration
When looking for full-flavored, healthy foods to cook and eat, consider ethnic cuisines. Many authentic ethnic cuisines, particularly those from warmer regions of the world, are loaded with delicious, healthful dishes. Good examples are Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Southeast Asian and Mexican cuisines. Throughout time, the development of these cuisines by necessity were meat minimalistic and included lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs, chili peppers, spices, whole grains and legumes.


​One of the classes I taught in the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University was Spa Cuisine (upscale, healthy food!) which was a course for senior level students in the Culinary Nutrition degree program. My colleague and good friend, Chef Mike Makuch and I developed a set of simple, food-based guidelines for our students to follow when they were creating recipes for projects in class. The following guidelines are a variation of those I developed for my students and are what I follow when creating dishes for High Country Culinary.
These are a brief introduction, if you’re interested in learning more about how to implement these guidelines effectively, I’m happy to come to your home and cook with you in your kitchen and go through each guideline more thoroughly.
Regardless if you use my services or not, I hope you refer to these guidelines to help you navigate the kitchen and cook delicious food that will enhance your health and help promote optimal physical performance.​