Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

FIGHTING BACK: Holiday Lights

Eating a nutritious meal before parties can keep off the season's extra pounds

Parmesan-crusted halibut and a Pometini are served at the Canyon Ranch SpaClub cafe. Photo by Clint Karlsen. Smoked turkey hash, served here with a poached egg and smoothie, is lighter in calories, which helps stave off added holiday pounds. Photo by Clint Karlsen. Margarita ceviche prepared at home can offset fat-promoting fare served at holiday events. Photo by Clint Karlsen.

Skipping meals during the holiday season to "gorge later on the `good' stuff" at parties is a common, but ludicrous, approach to avoid weight gain, according to the dietitian at the Las Vegas Canyon Ranch SpaClub.

A more effective approach to weight control during the holidays is to never arrive at a party -- with its typically high-calorie spread -- on an empty stomach.

Instead, before leaving home, partygoers should eat a small meal or well-balanced snack, dietitian Brian Zehetner says. If a person eats healthy ahead of a party, he or she will be less likely to overindulge.

A common hazard at parties is the buffet format.

"No matter how small the portion size, with too many items in totality you're going to exceed your caloric needs," which will eventually put on pounds, Zehetner says.

A strategy for eating is important during the holidays because a recent study suggests the average American gains five pounds in the holiday season, which actually stretches from Halloween in late October until Super Bowl Sunday in late January.

But it's best to use the same eating strategy year-round, Zehetner says.

Canyon Ranch Las Vegas is a branch of the famed Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Ariz. Zehetner worked with James Boyer, chef de cuisine at the Las Vegas location to come up with a menu for its cafe that is both delicious and nutritious.

Nutritional intelligence is the concept that Canyon Ranch promotes in its food, both at its dining sites throughout the nation and its 2001 cookbook, "Canyon Ranch Cooks," (Rodale, $29.95).

Nutritional intelligence involves more than just abstract recipe planning based solely on nutrient content. Equally important are such factors as the diner's personal food preferences; a balance in every meal of proteins, vegetables, fruits, fats and whole grains; realistic portion sizes; meals at regular times, rather than scattershot; and a social and sensual dimension to eating.

Of the last factor, Boyer says, "there are two worlds of eating in America and Europe. You come to America, and everything is about speed and how fast I can get in and out" of a restaurant or a meal at home.

Zehetner and Boyer believe that Americans eat to have energy to attend the next event on their schedule. But when Europeans eat, the food itself is an event, and the meal unfolds slowly.

Slowing the pace of any meal enables the diner to savor textures and flavors, often resulting in a stomach that is satisfied after less intake.

Boyer recommends home cooks designate a day to prepare ingredients or sauces -- often designated in a recipe as subrecipes -- that will be needed later the same week. The polenta in this halibut entree, for example, requires a subrecipe.

"We recommend a prep day, maybe Sunday evening" to cook ahead, he says.

Boyer offers the following recipes for healthful home cooking that partygoers can use to offset the fanciful, fat-promoting fare they will face at holiday events.

TURKEY HASH

3 ounces green apples (Granny Smith, for example)

1 pound potatoes

11 ounces cooked turkey breast

5 ounces red onion, diced

1 tablespoon canola oil, plus enough to coat tray

2 ounces dried cranberries

1 pinch dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1 pinch ground black pepper, to taste

1 pinch sea salt, to taste

6 whole eggs

chicken stock

Peel apples and potatoes. Dice apples, then dice potatoes. Then cook potatoes in salted boiling water until soft. Dice turkey.

Sauté onion in canola oil until translucent. Add diced apples and cranberries and continue to sauté all until slightly browned. Add turkey, and sauté for 5 more minutes. Mix turkey-fruit mixture with potatoes and seasonings.

Lightly coat metal baking tray with oil. Place hash on tray and place over two stovetop burners until browned, about 8-10 minutes. While baking, poach eggs.

Drizzle chicken stock over hash and cook until steam has diminished. Plate servings, each with a poached egg on top. Makes 6 servings.

MARGARITA CEVICHE

1 fresh lemon

1 1/2 fresh limes

1 fresh orange

1/2 jalapeño pepper

1/2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 ounce yellow onion, diced

1/4 cup tequila

2 ounces raw halibut

2 ounces small raw shrimp

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 pound cucumber, peeled and julienned

1/2 pound fresh jicama, julienned

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Juice the lemon, limes and orange. Deseed jalapeño, then dice, mash and slightly microwave till soft. Add jalapeño to the fruit juice. Then add cilantro and onion, and mix well. Flame the tequila. Add it to juice mixture.

"Shock" the halibut and shrimp in boiling water, which means to immerse and quickly remove. Drain water from seafood, then add it to fruit juice mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to marinate for at least 4 hours.

Combine cucumber, jicama, second salt portion and chili powder in a bowl.

To serve, put 1/2 cup of cucumber mix in bowl. Top with 4 ounces of ceviche. Makes 4 servings.

PARMESAN-CRUSTED HALIBUT

WITH TOMATO ASPARAGUS

SAUCE

For tomato asparagus sauce:

1/4 cup shallots, minced

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus enough to coat sauté pan

2 medium tomatoes, diced

4 stalks asparagus, blanched and diced

2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

For fish:

2 whole eggs

1 pinch sea salt

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 pound halibut, cut into 4 equal fillets

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

For polenta:

3/4 cup onion, diced

2 tablespoons butter

1 quart low-fat milk

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup polenta or cornmeal

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

For sautéed spinach with garlic and olive oil:

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound fresh spinach, washed and torn into large pieces

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For sauce, in medium sauté pan, sauté shallots in olive oil over medium flame until translucent. Add remaining sauce ingredients to pan, and sauté 5 more minutes. Set aside.

For fish, lightly coat a large sauté pan with oil. Place over medium heat.

In medium bowl, beat eggs with salt and pepper. Spread Parmesan cheese on a large plate. Dip each fish fillet in egg wash, then dredge in cheese. Gently place fish in hot pan and cook over medium heat until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to baking pan, and bake for 10 minutes, or until fish is cooked through.

To make the grilled polenta, lightly coat an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with olive oil. In large saucepan, sauté onions in butter until translucent. Add milk and bring to simmer.

Add salt, pepper, sugar and stir well. Sprinkle in polenta and continue to stir until all ingredients are combined. Simmer until thickened, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add cheese and mix until melted. Pour into prepared baking pan and let cool. Cut into 12 servings.

Lightly coat a large sauté pan with olive oil. Sauté polenta squares until golden brown on each side. Reserve 8 squares for another use.

To prepare the spinach, sauté garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat until garlic begins to turn golden. Add spinach and briefly cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve each fish fillet with 1/4 cup of tomato asparagus sauce and a side of grilled polenta and sautéed spinach. Makes 4 servings.