New Years Resolutions We Can Handle...

Okay, it’s that time of year…again. And I’m sitting here in front of my keyboard thinking…again. I can’t begin to count the number of times I have pledged to loose weight as my New Years Resolution. For those of you that may not know me well, I have been called “portly” on more then one occasion! My intentions are good, it’s the delivery where I need the help…the trouble is - I love food!!!

I have been a chef for over 35 years…I love working with food, I love the smells and aroma’s of food, I love the textures and varieties of food and I adore the taste of food…I love the taste of pan-seared foie gras with toasted brioche bread as much as I love the taste of a crisp Granny Smith apple. I savor every morsel of a filet mignon with a pinot noir reduction with Bleu cheese as much as I savor fresh figs with prosciutto. I adore a delicious hot dog steamed in beer with grainy mustard on a toasted bun as much as I adore fresh sushi. I crave kettle potato chips as much as I crave a bowl of grapes…I love food!!!

So here I am thinking…how do I address my portliness without having to give-up or sacrifice that which I truly love - food? I honestly know that if I try to convince myself that I will forgo the chips, the hot dogs, the foie gras and the rich sauces and only have what is “good for me” then I will fail, and fail miserably!!! I would be so depressed having to sip on some nice herbal tea when what I really want is a nice glass of Argentinean Malbec. Then I think…hey, I’m sure that I am not alone - there must be plenty of us “portly” people who want to trim down but cannot see ourselves giving up what is so near and dear to us…”flavor”!!! I’m sorry but I’ve already tried the “low-fat” cream cheese on my bagels and no thanks!

Hey, I’m a professional chef…if anyone can come up with ways to prepare great tasting food while reducing the fat, then shouldn’t a professional chef??? Come on John, step-up to the plate - if not you, who? If not now, when? (Aren’t you happy you don’t have to live in my head?) Let’s see…I should be able to come up with a program where I can still enjoy “most” of the foods I love (which is most) and yet still dramatically cut back on the FAT intake…and yes, I’m going to have to get out there and exercise (which is something I really like to do - but just don’t seem to work enough of it into my schedule).

So, here I sit at my keyboard with food thoughts running through my head…and I think that maybe, perhaps many of you would like to do the same…keep the flavors and tastes alive - just cut a lot of the FAT out of our daily lives. Not only would it most likely improve our waistlines (and other body parts), it can’t help but help our hearts, cholesterol, diabetes, etc.

Now I’m getting excited…I can think of all kinds of ways to reduce the FAT without having to sacrifice the flavor…here are just some of my thoughts”

1) 1 ounce of Neufchatel cheese contains 6.6 grams of FAT compared to cream cheese which contains 9.9 grams of FAT in the same 1 ounce. Neufchatel cheese is readily available in most supermarkets, right next to the cream cheese - tastes great on my “Everything” bagel and I can reduce 33% of the FAT. That’s a “No-Brain-er”.

2) When I make a 3 egg omelet, if I omit just one of the yolks, I’m still going to have a light, fluffy and delicious dish and save almost 30% of the FAT. This isn’t as difficult as I thought it might be.

3) I love shrimp, it’s a great carrier of flavor…3 ounces of shrimp contain only 1 gram of FAT! Now if I pair that with some fresh garlic, peppers, onions, some vine ripened tomatoes, a little white wine and some vegetable stock and serve it with some Basmati rice,,,I’ve got a wonderful dinner in minutes and with almost no FAT!!! I could serve this up at least once per week, don’t you think?

4) When I feel that I must make a cream sauce or whipped cream for dessert, I can substitute canned evaporated milk for the heavy cream and cut away 9 grams of fat per 1/4 cup (10 grams for heavy cream, 1 gram for evaporated milk).

5) When I want to bake a pie or make a tart…if I substitute phyllo dough (1.7 grams per ounce) instead of pie dough(9.3 grams)or puff pastry (11 grams), I can save my waste-line a whole lot of added FAT!

6) Speaking of baking…if I use apple butter (available at most supermarkets) instead of oil in most baking recipes, I can instantly reduce 30% of the FAT and still have a delicious moist and flavorful dish.

7) If I spread only jam on my English Muffins or toast instead of butter and jam… still get most of the flavor and eliminate 11 grams of FAT for every tablespoon of butter I would use.

8) When I want to make myself a grilled sandwich…if I spread the outside of the bread with “Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil” instead of butter - I cut out 1/2 the FAT…and the toast gets a nice golden color without getting dry.

9) If I use my micro-plane or the small holes of a box grater for cheeses like Parmesan or cheddar I will actually use much less cheese then if I purchased shredded cheese at the store. I not only save money but dramatically cut down on my FAT intake.

10) Although buttermilk sounds like it’s high in FAT, actually it has the same amount as 1% milk…so I should use more buttermilk when baking or when I want to make creamy salad dressings.

11) When I make stews, soups and stir-fries, I can cut back the meats I use by 1/3 and add more vegetables, rice, beans or pasta. The taste will still be great and and I again will have omitted a fair amount of the FAT.

12)Lastly…if I prepare just one dinner per week which is a “meatless” (beef, poultry, seafood) meal and instead create a vegetarian stir-fry, chili, roasted tomato-caramelized onion and feta tart (using phyllo dough) with a little pesto - I will cut another huge amount of FAT from my weekly diet.


My head is spinning with all these different ideas on how to reduce and/or eliminate FAT from my diet without sacrificing flavor, taste or creativity…and you can do the same. Now all we have to do is simply “Do It”!!! Take the leap of faith and get on with our lives without hauling all the FAT along with us.

Here’s an honest confession…I much prefer a sip of Port much more then I like being called “Portly”.

I’d love to hear your ideas and/or thoughts about how we can cherish the flavor and cut the FAT…please share them for ALL of our sakes.

Until next time, Happy New Year!!!



Chef John
john@cookwithjohn.com
www.cookwithjohn.com