Nutrition In the New Year

It's hard to ignore the refreshing feeling that the new year brings. It's a chance to re-evaluate your life and think about where you might like to make changes. You needed neither that second serving of food nor the extra round of drinks, yet you have indulged. But aren't the holidays about good times with loved ones, great food, and merrymaking?  So starting in January you will eat healthier, work out, get fit, and this will be your new years resolution.

Sound familiar? It should if your one of the, millions of people who find themselves unsatisfied with their excess body weight or sluggish condition at the turn of the calender. In fact, about a third of New Years resolutions are to make weight loss/eating healthy their primary goal, and about 15% aim to begin an exercise program. Statistics also show that most resolutions don't work, so I am gonna dive into some noteworthy goals and ideas for a healthier New Years.

Eat more fruits and vegetables

I am sure you have probably heard this again and again, but research shows that increasing the number of fruits and veggies you eat especially above the 5-a-day standard, decreases you risk of high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. More fruits and veggies mean more fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, plus more color and flavor added to you meals. So aim for 5-9 servings a day, put dried fruit in you salad or cereal, throw some frozen veggies in with your favorite pasta dish for added flavor and nutrients, double the amount of veggies in that morning omelet. Every little bit counts! 

Eat more Healthy Fats

Tuna tar-tar with sesame oil, avocado moose, and a pickled vegetable & basil micro salad.

It is becoming better know that the average american needs more Omega-3's, essential fatty acids are necessary for health and must be included in your diet because the human body can not produce them on its own. There is actually three types of fatty acids that are referred to as omega-3, ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic), and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Research indicates that omega-3 fat reduces inflammation, helps to prevent heart disease and arthritis. Omega-3's are also essential to the brain, impacting behavior and cognitive function, and are especially necessary during fetal development. To get the recommended levels of omega-3's try adding 2 tablespoons flax-seed to your smoothie or cup of yogurt. I also recommend 2 to 3 servings of fresh fish per week (fresh fish contain more DHA and EPA then frozen fish) like Salmon, tuna, halibut, trout, anchovy and sardines are all high in Omega-3's. Fish oils can also be obtained from supplements found at your local vitamin shop. 

There are plenty of other "good fats" you should have in your diet for your heart, your cholesterol, and your over all heath. 

Monounsaturated fat

• Olive, canola, sunflower, peanut, and sesame oil's
• Avocados
• Olives
• Nuts such as almonds, peanuts, macadamia, hazelnuts, pecans, and cashews
• Peanut butter

Polyunsaturated fat

• Soybean, corn, safflower oil's
• Walnuts 
• Sunflower, sesame, pumpkin, and flax seed
• Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines)
• Soy-milk
• Tofu 

Saturated and trans fat are known as the "bad fats" because they increase your risk of disease and elevate cholesterol.

Saturated fat

• High-fat cuts of meat (beef, lamb, pork)
• Chicken with the skin on
• Whole-fat dairy products (milk and cream)
• Butter
• Cheese
• Ice cream
• Palm and coconut oil
• Lard

Trans fat

• Commercially-baked pastries, cookies, doughnuts, muffins, cakes, pizza dough
• Packaged snack foods
• Stick margarine
• Vegetable shortening
• Fried foods 
• Candy bars

So try and eliminate trans fat from your diet by avoiding commercially baked goods and limiting fast food. Limit your intake of saturated fat by cutting back on red meat and eating more fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and switch full fat dairy foods for lower fat versions. Aim for 28-40 grams of healthy fat each day for people eating between a 1500-2000 calories each day.

Start with a Protein packed breakfast

In our busy schedules we consume most of our protein in the later half of the day. Protein keeps us full, energized, and our bodies constantly use this cell-building substance! Studies show that people who balance their protein distribution throughout the day are more successful at maintaining a healthy weight.

You should eat 25% of your daily protein requirements at breakfast. About 20 grams for someone eating 1500 calories daily. To help meet this goal, include foods like hard boil eggs, fat free Greek yogurt, cheese made from 2% milk, adding skinless boneless chicken diced in your scrambled eggs, or almonds in your cereal. There are plenty of exiting ways to boost up your breakfast experiment and have fun.

Spice up your home cooking

This year try and eat more meals at home and improve your culinary skills! Some good basic cooking skills are required to live a healthy life style. If you rely on all the convenience foods and restaurants too much, you will not only over consume calories, but would also be spending far too much money on food. 

So start by eating at home at least 4 nights a week and plan some meals around your schedule. You can take some extra prep time on one night and set up some 15-minute meals for the busy nights of the week. Try and eat one meatless meal per week and take out fat and salt to save calories. It may leave you with tasteless boring food but you can add flavor and color back to your recipes without all the calories by adding the right amount of herbs and spices.

Counteracting Cravings 

We all have those cravings for chocolate witch is often indicates that your body is deficient in magnesium, a mineral whose deficiency may trigger headaches and can lead to fatigue which 80% of the population is lacking. If you do give in and go for chocolate be sure to get 75% cacao or higher, which is usually lower in sugar and higher in antioxidants. 

If you crave sweets of almost any kind, you may be experiencing blood sugar fluctuations and giving in to pie, candy, cake, or other goodies only makes the problem worse by causing blood sugar roller coasters that lead to more cravings. Instead eat a piece of fruit high in natural sugars like a bananas, green apple, pineapple etc. Over all choose more high fiber foods like beans and complex carbohydrates like whole grains that keep your blood sugar stable. 

If you get a craving for oily and salty foods like potato chips or popcorn often means chronic stress may be taking a toll on your adrenal glands, along with a calcium deficiency. When your overly stressed your adrenal glands release cortisol, which can make you crave high fat, simple-carb foods that your body can use quickly. Getting on top of the stress in your life is highly essential to staying healthy. Try meditation, breathing exercises, or other stress management techniques.

If you crave red meat like a burger or steak it usually indicates an iron deficiency. Try and eat dried fruits like prunes or figs which are higher in iron. When your craving that cheese pizza its often means a fatty acid deficiency, which is common since few people get enough omega-3 fatty acid. So reach for walnuts, wild salmon, flax-seed and flax-seed oil. Did you know most cravings are actually a signal from our body telling us that we are dehydrated, but we misinterpret them as hunger pains. Here are some other ways to help counter act the cravings.

Here is a quick guide to counteracting your cravings. 

So those are some of my hints and tips to help you stay on track to a healthier you this year. Along with exercise, a healthy balanced diet will do wonders for you in the long run.  If you have any questions or would like to know more feel free to comment. Please subscribe for more exciting and upcoming articles, reviews and updates from.... 

Culinary Mercenaries, Knifes For Hire!

The Odyssey of a culinary mercenary.

      First off I'd like to start by apologizing for the long gap between my post. There has just been a lot of changes in my life recently. Some good some bad but that's life its like a roller-coaster full of ups and downs but through the twist and terns you have to learn to sit back, enjoy the ride and keep your eye on the prize. Life is one big journey and no one said it would be easy which brings me to my topic

The Odyssey of a culinary mercenary. 

      Its been a long journey already but its only the beginning of my odyssey as a culinary mercenary. I have worked every position from dishwasher to general manager in corporate and mom and pop restaurants. Ive done everything from thousand person banquets to privet chef gigs so now its not about the experience its about being happy and excited about what I am doing. So not only have I had a lot of personal changes in my life lately but I have also had some big professional changes too. Back in the middle October, I step down as executive chef at a friends bar and grill restaurant in San Jose California due to conflicting ideals and overall concept. And I went to go work for Chef Salvatore Calisi down in Morgan Hill at Odeum, Artisinal Mediterranean cuisine. Some may know Sal from Dio Deca in Los Gatos where he received a Michelin star back in 2009. At Odeum we artfully make everything in house from scratch starting with our pizza dough/flat bread, pastas and gnocchi to all our deserts and gelatos. Oh and I Can't forget the awesome cocktails including a bacon bloody-marry and our extensive wine list. When I first herd about Odeum I knew I wanted to work there and be apart of something great. It took me making some sacrifices and working hard to make it into there tight knit circle, some of these guys have worked together for almost ten years. Its been a ruff transition but I think I have finally found a place I can call home. I just love and appreciate the attention to detail that went into this restaurant. Its defiantly one of the stricter kitchens I have worked in but when people are passionate about what they are doing nothing go's unnoticed. This restaurant pushes me to be a better me not only as a chef but in many ways. With exciting new projects on the way there is a lot of opportunity to learn and grow. This place has a great atmosphere and that family feel to it, we all got each others backs and we all work are asses off. We had some great holiday events for Christmas eve and new years eve that went very well for us. Were were crazy busy, had live music, and had a blast.

New Years eve with UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez (center left), Chef Sal Calisi (left of Cain)

, Nash (far right)

      Now that the restaurant has slowed down a little bit I have some time to get back to my personal projects. I am proud to announce that Culinary Mercenaries Catering will be have its first official banquet later in this month. Super excited to finely get the ball rolling and it is gonna be ruff fitting in around my already tight scheduled but defiantly worth the effort. This is gonna be a good year so I will have lots of new updates and pictures coming soon. Please subscribe/follow me for more upcoming adventures in the odyssey of a culinary mercenary. 

The lost art of Bacon

Uncured pork belly

Pork belly is a boneless cut of fatty meat from the belly of a pig. Pork belly is popular in Asian cuisine, and forms a part of many traditional European , Swiss and German dishes. In the United States, bacon is most often made from pork bellies. Bacon! It has a wonderful place in human history. Humans have eaten it for thousands of years, traded it as a staple of economies, vegetarians make exceptions for bacon. Bacon is the closest we can get to empirically proving the existence of God. Bacon, for lack of a better word, is The Shit. Bacon from scratch-cured, smoked, and cut at home- puts store-bought bacon to profound shame. I didn’t think it was possible to improve on perfection, but I had to find out. And so I bravely set out to into the unknown to discover the lost art of

Homemade Bacon

• First go to your local butcher and ask for uncured pork belly with the skin on. 
• It arrives in slabs about 20-30 inches long and about 8 inches across: you’ll recognize them from their familiar bacon-esque cross section. 
• They cost around $2.50-$3.50 a pound, and you’ll probably want a quarter slab—a piece weighing about 4 to 5 pounds but I am doing a whole slab half for bacon half for a pork belly sandwich. 
• Don't forget to make sure the pork belly has the rind (the skin) that's were all the flavor comes from.

Curing  

• Curing, back in the day, was the way people preserved meats without refrigeration.
• Salt, which consists primarily of sodium chloride, is the most important ingredient for curing food and is used in relatively large quantities. Salt kills and inhibits the growth of microorganisms by drawing water out of the cells of both microbe and food alike through osmosis. Concentrations of salt up to 20% are required to kill most species of unwanted bacteria.Once properly salted, the food's interior contains enough salt to exert osmotic pressures that prevent or retard the growth of many undesirable microbes.
•  A cure is 2 parts salt to 1 part sugar (for flavor, cuts the salt) and a few teaspoons pink curing salt #1 “sodium nitrite,” not Himalayan pink salt.  It’s what’s responsible for the bright color and savory bacon flavor.  You don’t have to use it, but your bacon will turn brown/gray when cooked (you’re cooking it well done, after all), and will taste like pleasantly seasoned spare ribs, porky rather than that classic bacon flavor.
• You can add a variety of things to this rub: black pepper, garlic, ground bay leaves, paprika, whatever. Use your imagination. What flavors you add will come through in the meat.
• This is the cure I am using for my pork belly  
  
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 cups fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon pink curing salt #1
  • 1/4 cup coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup toasted & coarsely ground coriander
  • 1/4 cup Fresh thyme 
  • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
  • 2 teaspoons chilli powder

• Now use the rub to cover the pork belly, then stick it in a zip lock bag or covered tightly with plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge for the next 7 days. Check on it periodically, maybe turning it over and draining any accumulated liquid.
• After that week, pull it out, rinse it off, pat it dry. You’ll notice it looks a lot like, well, cured meat.
• Now you’re going to leave it in the fridge, uncovered, for a day. Why? The pork belly needs to form a pellicle. “Forming the pellicle”, the pellicle is a tacky, gooey layer that forms on the outside of the meat after curing. Kind of gnarly, but it is essential for the next step.
    
  Smoking

•  Smoking is the final step, and the trickiest one. It imparts that necessary smoky bacon flavor, and helps give the meat that perfect bacon texture. Good news is, if you have a BBQ, it’s fairly easy to accomplish from scratch. If your looking for something a little more efficient you can find a decent 4 rack up right gas smoker at your local Home depot or Lowe's for right under $200. 
• Here is a list of different types of woods comely used for smoking:

1.  ACACIA - these trees are in the same family as mesquite. When burned in a smoker, acacia has a flavor similar to mesquite but not quite as heavy. A very hot burning wood.
2. ALDER - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.
3. ALMOND - A sweet smoke flavor, light ash. Good with all meats
4. APPLE - Very mild with a subtle fruity flavor, slightly sweet. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork.
5. ASH - Fast burner, light but distinctive flavor. Good with fish and red meats.
6. BIRCH - Medium-hard wood with a flavor similar to maple. Good with pork and poultry.
7. CHERRY - Mild and fruity. Good with poultry, pork and beef. Some List members say the cherry wood is the best wood for smoking. Wood from chokecherry trees may produce a bitter flavor.
8. COTTONWOOD - It is a softer wood than alder and very subtle in flavor. Use it for fuel but use some chunks of other woods (hickory, oak, pecan) for more flavor. Don't use green cottonwood for smoking.
9. CRABAPPLE - Similar to apple wood.
10. GRAPEVINES - Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.
11. HICKORY - Most commonly used wood for smoking--the King of smoking woods. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor. Good with pork, ham and beef.
12. LILAC - Very light, subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood and lamb.
13. MAPLE - Smoky, mellow and slightly sweet. Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds.
14. MESQUITE - Strong earthy flavor. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game. One of the hottest burning.
15. MULBERRY - The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple.
16. OAK - Heavy smoke flavor--the Queen of smoking wood. RED OAK is good on ribs, WHITE OAK makes the best coals for longer burning. All oak varieties reported as suitable for smoking. Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game.
17. ORANGE, LEMON and GRAPEFRUIT - Produces a nice mild smoky flavor. Excellent with beef, pork, fish and poultry.
18. PEAR - A nice subtle smoke flavor. Much like apple. Excellent with chicken and pork.
19. PECAN - Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory. Tasty with a subtle character. Good with poultry, beef, pork and cheese. Pecan is an all-around superior smoking wood.
20. SWEET FRUIT WOODS - APRICOT, PLUM, PEACH, NECTARINE - Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory.
21. WALNUT - ENGLISH and BLACK - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game. 

• Today I am going to use a hickory for that sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor and apple wood for its sweetness and it helps get that deep smokey color form my smoke and mesquite charcoal for my heat source since I am doing on a charcoal BBQ but your welcome to use any wood(s) you prefer.
• If your using a gas BBQ I recommend using a wood chip smoking box but if your a do it your self-er like me you can make a foil pouch, double warped with holes punched through the top so the smoke can escape. Then place the pouch directly on the heat source.   
• The key here is that you are only smoking your bacon, not cooking it. You don’t want your pork belly exposed to direct heat, so use about half the coals you normally would, move them all the way to the side, and toss a few pieces of wood (hickory, maple) soaked in water for half an hour on top to produce good smoke.
• Close the lid up, and keep the smoke coming out the vent nice and ample for the next two hours, by adding the necessary briquettes and wood chunks. It’ll take about 2 hours for a proper smoke. Never letting the temperature rise above 140 degrees.
• After about 2 hours, pull it out, and cut the skin away while its till warm, taking care to leave as much fat underneath as possible.

Enjoying

• Cool down in the fridge for a few hours before cutting slices to the thickness you prefer, cook over low heat to your desired floppy/crispy level.  It will keep for a week in the fridge, or months if frozen. 

• Bacon can be enjoyed sinfully by itself or on/in countless combinations of dishes and can even be candied for some amazingly savory deserts.

• Now if you wanted to do something different instead of taking the pork belly out after 2 hours crank the heat up to 250 degrees and smoke for another hour and a half and you will get a fully cooked pork belly.

• Pork belly can be used for many dishes as well as sandwiches.

Like this play on a Vietnamese sandwich I did.  

Smoked pork belly, pickled vegetables, Saffron Aioli, on a french roll served with a lemon ginger coleslaw   

Any way you serve it your in for a real treat, your efforts will be greatly rewarded and you will wonder why you were overpaying for ordinary bacon in the first place. Not only do you have the capability to customize your bacon to your taste but you will be saving $2-$3 a pound!! Now that's Tasty, comment if you have any questions, thanks for reading, this has been another day in the life of a mercenary chef.

- by Nash Rook

Romesco Sauce

Ahi Tuna Tar Tar with a Romesco sauce.

       Romesco is a nut and red pepper-based sauce from Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. It is typically made from any mixture of roasted or raw almonds, pine nuts, and/or hazelnuts, roasted garlic, olive or sunflower oil, bitxo peppers (similar to New Mexico chiles) and/or nyora peppers (a small, round, variety of red bell pepper). Flour or ground stale bread may be used as a thickener or to provide texture. Other common ingredients include roasted tomatoes, red wine vinegar and onions. Leaves of fennel or mint may be added, particularly if served with fish or escargot. It is very often served with seafood, but can also be served with a wide variety of other foods, including poultry and some red meats like lamb and vegetables.Here is my recipe for a Remesco sauce,

 INGREDIENTS

                                                                        4 - red bell peppers cleaned and halved

3 - jalapeno peppers

5 - small to medium Roma tomato's

4 - medium shallots quartered

6 - 2" by 2" cubes of bread toasted

1/4  cup peeled garlic 

1/2  cup almonds 

1 & 1/4  cup olive oil

1/2  cup red wine vinegar

2  teaspoons ground chilli powder

1  table spoon of smoked paprika
                                                                             & salt and pepper to taste  

METHOD

Prep time: 15 min Cook time: 15min Yields: 2 quarts

       First start by placing your peppers, tomato's, shallots and garlic on a sheet tray. Coat with a 1/4 cup of olive oil and salt and pepper and place in preheated oven at 375* for 15 minutes. Toast the bread and almonds separately until they reach a pale brown color. Once all ingredients are done roasting place in blender or food processor adding vinegar, paprika, chilli powder. Then start blender at med speed wile slowly adding the remanding cup of oil to emulsify the sauce. Once fully incorporated add salt to taste and if you wish for a smother texture you can pass it through a small mess strainer or a chinois

 

Red Snapper, corn salad, Romesco, and cucumber relish.

I typically serve romesco with seafood dishes, as seen above with the tar tar and to the left under the red snapper. It helps mellow out any fishy-ness and brings big flavor to any dish. Its also great on wild game or lamb too. When I am working up a storm in the kitchen I find my self dipping any vegetable or bread laying around for a quick and delicious snack. When your looking for something to accompany your next dish look no further this versatile sauce is a must have in your bag of recipes.

-By Nash Rook