HEALTHFUL EATINg HABITS MADE TO ORDER
word to the wise
Food
Cutlet
WIKIMEDIA
A thin, tender cut of meat (usually from lamb, pork or veal) taken from the leg or rib section. Cutlets are best when quickly cooked, such as sauteed or grilled. The term “cutlet” can also refer to a mixture of finely chopped meat that’s bound with a sauce or egg mixture and formed into the shape of a cutlet. It is often dipped into beaten egg and then into bread crumbs before being fried. – epicurious.com
did you know? Five seafood options that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish. – FoodSafety.gov
Food for thought
Market fresh By Kathryn Rem | GateHouse News Service
romano’s macaroni grill
WOULD YOU BUY IT?
Macaroni Grill frozen entrees Details: The Italian meals-in-a-bag go from freezer to table in 12 minutes. There are four varieties: Basil Parmesan Chicken, Chicken Florentine, Garlic Shrimp Scampi and Italian Sausage Pomodoro. More information: (800) 754-3381 or www.MacaroniGrillAtHome.com Availability: In supermarket freezer cases, including Walmart Comments: We microwaved the Basil Parmesan Chicken, a blend of white meat chicken, broccoli florets, tomatoes, cavatappi pasta and a basil-parm sauce. “The chicken chunks are big and plentiful.” “The pasta is al dente. Hard to believe they were microwaved.” “The sauce could use more flavor.” Would you buy it? Yes, if it were on sale. We thought the price per serving was too high. – State JournalRegister
NUMBER TO KNOW
50
A tablespoon of Smucker’s strawberry jam is 50 calories. – calorieking.com
EASY RECIPE
Banana boats • 4 medium bananas, unpeeled • ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips • ¼ cup butterscotch or peanut butter chips • ¼ cup miniature marshmallows Cut alongside inside curve of each banana; press ends of peel to open. Fill each banana evenly with chocolate chips, butterscotch or peanut butter chips and marshmallows. Wrap each banana in foil. Place over STOCK. heat, and cook for XCHNG about 5 minutes until bananas are heated through and chips and marshmallows are melted. Yield: 4 to 8 servings. – Uni-
versity of Illinois Extension
L
eslie Turasky and Ashley Glatz have added something new to their local farmers market in Springfield, Ill.: on-site cooking. Both first-time sellers, they are wielding spatulas and propane burners, Turasky preparing German-style pancakes and Glatz making omelets. Both are using as many organic and local ingredients as possible, including many of the foods sold by fellow vendors at the market.
Brighter Life Foods owner Leslie Turasky squeezes a veganbased sauce over tofu tacos in her booth at a farmers market in Springfield, Ill.
RealCuisine owner Ashley Glatz flips an omelet in her booth at a farmers market in Springfield, Ill. PHOTOS BY DAVID SPENCER/GHNS
Healthful eating habits
MADE TO ORDER
Turasky’s interest in healthful eating is easy to understand once you know she grew up on a farm and has worked at a natural-foods store for the past six years. A year ago, the 26-year-old started Brighter Life Foods, a line of healthful salads and sandwiches. Among her dishes are quinoa salad, hummus, tofubased No-Chicken Salad, Mung Beans and Greens, vegan dill potato salad and a variety of bagel sandwiches.
At 26, Glatz already has had a career in the culinary arts that would satisfy most people for a lifetime. While living in New Zealand earning a bachelor’s degree in viticulture and oenology (grape growing and winemaking) from Lincoln University, Glatz worked as a bar manager and sous chef in a fine dining restaurant. After graduation, she returned to Springfield and spent 10 months at a wine store before moving to Chi-
The company also caters. For now, her main market offerings are German-style pancakes (pfannkucken), vegan tofu tacos, strawberrybanana smoothies and freshly squeezed wheatgrass juice shots. The pancakes come with toppings such as bananas, almonds and chocolate, or berries and whipped cream. The tacos have peppers, onions, seared tofu, cilantro and a cumin-garlic sauce inside a sprouted corn tortilla.
Leslie Turasky’s Red Quinoa Salad • 1 ½ cups organic quinoa, washed and drained • 2 ¼ cups water • 1 pinch sea salt • 1 cup organic beets, peeled and grated • ½ cup fresh organic parsley, packed and finely minced • ½ cup organic scallions, chopped • 2 ½ tablespoons organic extra virgin • olive oil • ½ cup organic lemon juice, freshly squeezed • 3 cups organic baby salad greens, for garnish
• 1 medium organic carrot, julienned, for garnish Place quinoa, water and salt in a saucepan and cook as package directs. Remove, fluff up quinoa and stir in beets until all the grains turn deep red. Stir in the parsley, scallions, olive oil and lemon juice. Serve on a bed of salad greens surrounded with the carrot strips. May be served warm, room temperature or chilled. Additional lemon juice and sea salt may be added, if desired. Makes about 6 servings.
cago to work for a year with a wine distributor. Then she joined up with Big Delicious Planet, a caterer that specializes in fulfilling the food wishes big-name entertainers. Now she’s the head of Springfield’s RealCuisine Catering, a company started by her mother, food writer Julianne Glatz. Besides omelets at the farmers market, she has been selling chocolate-covered strawberries and mint tea.
Ashley Glatz’s Asparagus on Toast with Brown Butter Sauce • 3 slices good-quality white bread • 4 cups water, or enough to cover the asparagus • 1 bunch (about 1 ½ pounds) asparagus, trimmed • ¼ cup unsalted butter • ¼ cup all-purpose flour • 2 tablespoons heavy cream • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs • Salt and pepper, to taste Toast the bread and cut it into 1-inch pieces; arrange in the bottom of a serving dish. Bring water to a boil and blanch asparagus until tender, about
2 minutes. Remove asparagus from water with slotted spoon and set aside. Continue to boil asparagus water until reduced by half. Meanwhile, brown butter in small saucepan and add flour to make a roux; cook for about 1 minute. Add hot asparagus water and cream, and simmer until thickened, about 5 to 10 minutes. Turn off heat and mix in herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange blanched asparagus over toast and top with the sauce. Let rest for 5 minutes. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Food
Cutlet
WIKIMEDIA
A thin, tender cut of meat (usually from lamb, pork or veal) taken from the leg or rib section. Cutlets are best when quickly cooked, such as sauteed or grilled. The term “cutlet” can also refer to a mixture of finely chopped meat that’s bound with a sauce or egg mixture and formed into the shape of a cutlet. It is often dipped into beaten egg and then into bread crumbs before being fried. – epicurious.com
did you know? Five seafood options that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish. – FoodSafety.gov
Food for thought
Market fresh By Kathryn Rem | GateHouse News Service
romano’s macaroni grill
WOULD YOU BUY IT?
Macaroni Grill frozen entrees Details: The Italian meals-in-a-bag go from freezer to table in 12 minutes. There are four varieties: Basil Parmesan Chicken, Chicken Florentine, Garlic Shrimp Scampi and Italian Sausage Pomodoro. More information: (800) 754-3381 or www.MacaroniGrillAtHome.com Availability: In supermarket freezer cases, including Walmart Comments: We microwaved the Basil Parmesan Chicken, a blend of white meat chicken, broccoli florets, tomatoes, cavatappi pasta and a basil-parm sauce. “The chicken chunks are big and plentiful.” “The pasta is al dente. Hard to believe they were microwaved.” “The sauce could use more flavor.” Would you buy it? Yes, if it were on sale. We thought the price per serving was too high. – State JournalRegister
NUMBER TO KNOW
50
A tablespoon of Smucker’s strawberry jam is 50 calories. – calorieking.com
EASY RECIPE
Banana boats • 4 medium bananas, unpeeled • ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips • ¼ cup butterscotch or peanut butter chips • ¼ cup miniature marshmallows Cut alongside inside curve of each banana; press ends of peel to open. Fill each banana evenly with chocolate chips, butterscotch or peanut butter chips and marshmallows. Wrap each banana in foil. Place over STOCK. heat, and cook for XCHNG about 5 minutes until bananas are heated through and chips and marshmallows are melted. Yield: 4 to 8 servings. – Uni-
versity of Illinois Extension
L
eslie Turasky and Ashley Glatz have added something new to their local farmers market in Springfield, Ill.: on-site cooking. Both first-time sellers, they are wielding spatulas and propane burners, Turasky preparing German-style pancakes and Glatz making omelets. Both are using as many organic and local ingredients as possible, including many of the foods sold by fellow vendors at the market.
Brighter Life Foods owner Leslie Turasky squeezes a veganbased sauce over tofu tacos in her booth at a farmers market in Springfield, Ill.
RealCuisine owner Ashley Glatz flips an omelet in her booth at a farmers market in Springfield, Ill. PHOTOS BY DAVID SPENCER/GHNS
Healthful eating habits
MADE TO ORDER
Turasky’s interest in healthful eating is easy to understand once you know she grew up on a farm and has worked at a natural-foods store for the past six years. A year ago, the 26-year-old started Brighter Life Foods, a line of healthful salads and sandwiches. Among her dishes are quinoa salad, hummus, tofubased No-Chicken Salad, Mung Beans and Greens, vegan dill potato salad and a variety of bagel sandwiches.
At 26, Glatz already has had a career in the culinary arts that would satisfy most people for a lifetime. While living in New Zealand earning a bachelor’s degree in viticulture and oenology (grape growing and winemaking) from Lincoln University, Glatz worked as a bar manager and sous chef in a fine dining restaurant. After graduation, she returned to Springfield and spent 10 months at a wine store before moving to Chi-
The company also caters. For now, her main market offerings are German-style pancakes (pfannkucken), vegan tofu tacos, strawberrybanana smoothies and freshly squeezed wheatgrass juice shots. The pancakes come with toppings such as bananas, almonds and chocolate, or berries and whipped cream. The tacos have peppers, onions, seared tofu, cilantro and a cumin-garlic sauce inside a sprouted corn tortilla.
Leslie Turasky’s Red Quinoa Salad • 1 ½ cups organic quinoa, washed and drained • 2 ¼ cups water • 1 pinch sea salt • 1 cup organic beets, peeled and grated • ½ cup fresh organic parsley, packed and finely minced • ½ cup organic scallions, chopped • 2 ½ tablespoons organic extra virgin • olive oil • ½ cup organic lemon juice, freshly squeezed • 3 cups organic baby salad greens, for garnish
• 1 medium organic carrot, julienned, for garnish Place quinoa, water and salt in a saucepan and cook as package directs. Remove, fluff up quinoa and stir in beets until all the grains turn deep red. Stir in the parsley, scallions, olive oil and lemon juice. Serve on a bed of salad greens surrounded with the carrot strips. May be served warm, room temperature or chilled. Additional lemon juice and sea salt may be added, if desired. Makes about 6 servings.
cago to work for a year with a wine distributor. Then she joined up with Big Delicious Planet, a caterer that specializes in fulfilling the food wishes big-name entertainers. Now she’s the head of Springfield’s RealCuisine Catering, a company started by her mother, food writer Julianne Glatz. Besides omelets at the farmers market, she has been selling chocolate-covered strawberries and mint tea.
Ashley Glatz’s Asparagus on Toast with Brown Butter Sauce • 3 slices good-quality white bread • 4 cups water, or enough to cover the asparagus • 1 bunch (about 1 ½ pounds) asparagus, trimmed • ¼ cup unsalted butter • ¼ cup all-purpose flour • 2 tablespoons heavy cream • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs • Salt and pepper, to taste Toast the bread and cut it into 1-inch pieces; arrange in the bottom of a serving dish. Bring water to a boil and blanch asparagus until tender, about
2 minutes. Remove asparagus from water with slotted spoon and set aside. Continue to boil asparagus water until reduced by half. Meanwhile, brown butter in small saucepan and add flour to make a roux; cook for about 1 minute. Add hot asparagus water and cream, and simmer until thickened, about 5 to 10 minutes. Turn off heat and mix in herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange blanched asparagus over toast and top with the sauce. Let rest for 5 minutes. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
