My Healthy Easter Dinner Meal with Filet Mignon

Planning the Healthy Easter Dinner Meal

Planning is always the first step of a successful meal. It doesn’t have to be long and tedious. In fact, I spent just a few minutes planning. This year, I wanted beef, and to keep it healthy, it had to be lean. Visiting my local grocery store I found nice lean filet mignons that would do just the trick. Asparagus is in season and will add color and a crisp texture to the meal. I wanted a good healthy starch but without the usual fats that normally top them. I decided on potato knowing I would need a topping to add moisture without the fats. Recently I made a meal for my Home Cooking Academy online cooking classes which involved poaching chicken and salmon. I topped both of those items with a healthy Greek yogurt, mustard, and dill sauce. I loved it and used it on potatoes in the past. That would complete my healthy Easter dinner meal!

Here are some tips about the cooking processes. The filets will be cooked via pan roasting. It’s a combination cooking method of saute and roasting. What I like most about it is when it goes in the oven for the second half of the cooking process, it frees up time to do other things. I like my asparagus al dente, like pasta, so I’ll just blanch them for a few minutes in a high simmer. One of the key principles involved in this meal is cooking by temperature, not by time. We want to know when the filets are properly cooked without gashing them open to see the inside. A cooking thermometer is required.

Preparing the Dinner

Preparing the Easter dinner meal was easy:

1. Since the potatoes takes the longest, I put them in the oven at 375 degrees. They will cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. At the same time I filled a large pot of water half way and set it on the stove top. This will be for the asparagus.
3. I created the yogurt topping by mixing 7 ounces of plain Greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon of fine french mustard and 3 tablespoons of chopped dill. Mix well and refrigerate.
4. Turn the heat on to medium high for the pot of water on the stove top, watching and adjusting the heat so it reaches a high simmer, not a rolling boil.
5. Set the filet mignons out at room temperature, rinse with water, pat dry, and sprinkle with a little salt and coarse ground black pepper.
6. Preheat an oven-proof skillet at medium high for the filet mignons.
7. When the pan is very hot add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Let the oil get hot and just before it starts to smoke, add the filets.
8. Saute the filets for about 4 minutes or until the one side is properly browned.
9. Once browned on one side, flip the filets, insert a cooking thermometer into the thickest part of the filet, and put the skillet in the oven. Leave in the oven until the thermometer reads about 150-153 degrees. This is a good medium rare.
10. Prep the asparagus by snapping of the bottoms. Insert into the simmering water for about 4 minutes.

Presenting the Healthy Easter Dinner Meal

Presentation is fundamental to food enjoyment. I’ll teach you now a very simple presentation tip. It’s a foundation item that other presentation tips rely on. It’s called “clocking.” We will plate the meals rather than serving the food family style. Very simply, we place the protein (filet mignon) at the 10:00 position of the plate. The starch (potato) goes on the 2:00 position. The vegetables (asparagus) goes to the 6:00 position. Slice a couple thin strips of the filet off and place under the filet to raise it up exposing the perfectly cooked beef. Slice open the potato. Retrieve the yogurt, mustard, and dill topping from the refrigerator and place a dab of the topping on each item. Done. Present the plates and watch the expressions of your family and friends as you deliver this beautiful healthy Easter dinner meal to them.

It’s simple and pretty quick. It tastes wonderful. There is wonderful texture and colors. To be creative, there are many ways we can be creative with this meal. Not a fan of dill? Use tarragon or basil. Add sauteed mushrooms as another side. There are many, many choices. At the Home Cooking Academy we teach all the elements that make a meal like this work, from the cooking method of pan roasting, to the ingredients like asparagus and what asparagus goes with, and how to present a meal to make it look fabulous.

I hope you got some ideas from this post. Let me know below your thoughts and how would you be creative with this meal by adding your comments below.

A chiffonade can be done with baby spinach leaves or anything leafy. Depending on the flavor or aroma you are looking for, it can be done with a lot of foods.

Basil Chiffonade

Enjoy!

And lastly, when cooking:

• Have fun
• Be bold
• Eat well

Teriyaki Meatballs with Pineapple

These teriyaki meatballs with pineapple can be made a couple different ways, depending on how you intend to serve them. My original idea was to make the entire batch, mix it all up, and then serve them on a tray with a toothpick through both a meatball and a pineapple, flat part of the pineapple on the bottom to provide a flat surface. Or, you can serve them as I did to my friends in a crock pot where they can dish out the goodies, seen below:

Teriyaki Meatballs in Crockpot

The green onion slices as a garnish worked well since there are green onions in the recipe, it adds color, and a compatible flavor to the teriyaki.

Parsley

Therein lies one of the fundamental problems with home cooking. Many of us don’t know what an ingredient goes with. When I research an ingredient on the internet, I get all kinds of useless information. I’m sorry, but I don’t care what the Latin name of the ingredient is when I’m trying to cook with it. Or that there are 16 varieties of it. Or that it’s from some country in South America I never heard of. I want to know what the ingredient goes with!

One of my favorite chefs, Thomas Keller says this in his cookbook Ad Hoc At Home, Pg 7:

“Be open to inspiration rather than simply picking up ingredients on a list.”

Doing things with our ingredients can inspire us in the kitchen, if we know what to do with those ingredients.

Fear not!

The Home Cooking Academy comes to the rescue. I put together a bonus document that fully covers what the 15 most common herbs and spices go with. Below is a sampling of this document. Below each ingredient is a list of some popular food pairings.

Basil

Cheeses, eggs, eggplant, green beans, zucchini, lemon, olives, peas, pizza, potatoes, raspberries, rice, corn, tomatoes

Chives

Avocado, zucchini, potatoes, root vegetables, cream cheese, egg dishes, fish and seafood

Cilantro

Eggs, fish/seafood, poultry, rice, mushrooms, carrots, parsnips

Cumin

Chicken, lamb, hard or pungent cheeses, eggplant, beans, bread, cabbage, lentils, onions, potatoes, sauerkraut, squash

Marjoram

Duck, lamb, poultry, venison, fish, shellfish, cheese, eggplant, beans, carrots, zucchini, peppers, squash

Oregano

Duck, lamb, poultry, venison, fish, shellfish, cheese, eggplant, beans, carrots, zucchini, peppers, squash (yes, these are the same as marjoram)

Paprika

Beef, veal, chicken, duck, pork, white cheeses, vegetables, rice

Parsley

Eggs, fish, lentils, rice, lemon, tomatoes, most vegetables

Rosemary

Poultry, rabbit, pork, lamb, veal, fish, eggs, lentils, squash, eggplant, cabbage, tomatoes, mushrooms, parsnips, potatoes, onions, oranges, apricots, cream cheese

Sage

Cheese, dried beans, apples, onions, tomatoes, caraway, celery, garlic, ginger, marjoram, paprika, parsley, thyme

Tarragon

Artichokes, asparagus, zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes, fish/seafood, poultry, eggs

Thyme

Lamb, rabbit, eggplant, cabbage, carrots, leeks, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, corn

Soon, I will announce a special program with the Home Cooking Academy where you can get the complete document that lists much more information about each ingredient. The complete document offers what chefs agree are popular pairings for these ingredients, and other popular pairings.

I love fresh herbs. They can awaken a normal dish and turn it into something special. Not long ago I bought some fresh parsley. I trimmed the bottoms off and put the bundle into a vase much like a pretty flower or rose. It kept them alive much longer than simply putting them in the refrigerator. My biggest challenge was keeping the cats away from having a nibble! Thereafter when I made just about any dish, I cut off a few sprigs, diced them up and topped the dish with the fresh parsley.

A baked potato came alive. Chives are great with potatoes too.

French bread topped with fresh mozzarella was wonderful with the parsley.

Eggs in the morning are refreshing with a little parsley sprinkled on top.

The bottom line is this: Don’t let your fresh herbs dry out and die. Use them. Print out the list above and when you have some fresh herbs, use them when you make any of the ingredients listed for that herb.

And in a week or two when I make my announcement about the Home Cooking Academy, you can get your hands on the complete document and find out many, many more items that these and other herbs and spices can go with.

Happy cooking!

Referenced in this post:

Thomas Keller shares family-style recipes that you can make any or every day. In the book every home cook has been waiting for, the revered Thomas Keller turns his imagination to the American comfort foods closest to his heart—flaky biscuits, chicken pot pies, New England clam bakes, and cherry pies so delicious and redolent of childhood that they give Proust’s madeleines a run for their money. Keller, whose restaurants The French Laundry in Yountville, California, and Per Se in New York have revolutionized American haute cuisine, is equally adept at turning out simpler fare. In Ad Hoc at Home—a cookbook inspired by the menu of his casual restaurant Ad Hoc in Yountville—he showcases more than 200 recipes for family-style meals. This is Keller at his most playful, serving up such truck-stop classics as Potato Hash with Bacon and Melted Onions and grilled-cheese sandwiches, and heartier fare including beef Stroganoff and roasted spring leg of lamb. In fun, full-color photographs, the great chef gives step-by-step lessons in kitchen basics— here is Keller teaching how to perfectly shape a basic hamburger, truss a chicken, or dress a salad. Best of all, where Keller’s previous best-selling cookbooks were for the ambitious advanced cook,[Read More]

What is a Food Philosophy?

In essence, it is a guideline for what we buy, make, and put in our bodies. It is the rules we live by when it comes to food. For those with health conditions, you probably have a food philosophy without knowing what it is. For example, if you are restricting salt from your diet because of blood pressure issues, that is an element of a food philosophy.

Chef and author Jamie Oliver describes his food philosophy this way:

“My philosophy to food and healthy eating has always been about enjoying everything in a balanced, and sane way. Food is one of life’s greatest joys yet we’ve reached this really sad point where we’re turning food into the enemy, and something to be afraid of. I believe that when you use good ingredients to make pasta dishes, salads, stews, burgers, grilled vegetables, fruit salads, and even outrageous cakes, they all have a place in our diets. We just need to rediscover our common sense: if you want to curl up and eat macaroni and cheese every once in a while – that’s alright! Just have a sensible portion next to a fresh salad, and don’t eat a big old helping of chocolate cake afterwards.”

Being Specific is Better

Like in goal setting, the more specific you can be the better it is to follow and track. Experts recommend that if one has a goal to lose weight, it is best not to just have a goal to lose weight. Rather, be specific and have a goal to lose 24 pounds in the next 12 months, or 2 pounds per month. Being specific gives you a metric you can follow and measure your results with.

Here are some examples of good elements in a food philosophy.

1) I eat natural ingredients. With today’s factory farms and processing plants where so many foods contain or are injected with substances, hormones, steroids, etc., one can make the decision to eat less processed food and go natural. It means shopping the outside perimeter of a grocery store versus the internal isles, and reading the ingredients list carefully.

2) I eat organic foods. When possible or available, choosing organic foods can reduce the amount of herbicides and pesticides we put into our bodies. While organic foods tend to cost more initially, many doctors and nutritionists claim better quality foods reduce health care costs down the road.

3) I take control of the foods and ingredients I eat. This one is deceptively powerful. If you are to take control of what you put into your body, you have to know what you are putting into your body. Right? When you eat out or eat fast food, do you know what oil they use, what kind of flour they use, or how much salt they add? Darn it, no.

4) I migrate my eating to a more whole food, plant based diet, and lessen the meat and dairy I eat. If you watch the recommended documentary Forks Over Knives, this one will make sense, and I can guarantee you, this will become one element of your food philosophy. While the video recommends a complete break from meat and dairy, and may be necessary for some with severe health issues, many can ease into it and “migrate.”

5) I reduce the bad “whites” in my diet. Many experts call refined and heavily processed white foods like sugar, flour, and salt to be detrimental to our health. With this as an element of our food philosophy, we can migrate to unrefined or raw sugar, wheat, spelt, or other flours, and reduce iodized salt in favor of smaller amounts of sea salt or kosher salt.

6) I reduce my fat intake and eliminate trans-fats. This one is harder than it seems, mostly because of the trans-fat items. There are a lot of hydrogenated foods still available and mostly in processed foods. From the movie Forks Over Knives one of the key phrases is: “The fat you eat is the fat you wear.”

7) I eat “x” servings of fruits and vegetables every day. By replacing “x” with the exact number suitable for you, you now have a mental trigger every day to eat your desired amount of healthy and calorie dense fruits and vegetables. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield as my health care provider. They have a program called Blue Points which nudges members to earn points based on certain behaviors. Points can be redeemed for gift certificates and other goodies. One of the behaviors they reward is eating 5 or more servings of fruits or vegetables at least 5 days a week. I find the program works because it does keep it in front of me that I need to eat the good foods in order to earn the points.

These are just some examples, and yes, they are all centered around healthy eating. Based on national statistics and projected health care costs, many of us can benefit from taking more control of what we put into our body. I know I can.

Real Life Example

Lastly, I want to leave you with a real life example of one element from my own food philosophy. I do try to take control of what I put into my body and monitor my salt intake. As one who loves to cook, I find salt plays an important role in cooking. The food philosophy element is to take control of the salt by buying food items with no or low salt, and let me be the one to add salt when needed.

For example, I only buy no salt butter rather than salted butter. If I were to add salted butter to a dish, exactly how much salt is in there? It varies from brand to brand. Also, salted butter contains more water than unsalted butter often giving me results other than what I desire. Another place where I take control of the salt is in the chicken, beef, or vegetable broth/stock I buy. Yes, I can take complete control by making my own, and I do as often as I can. Sometimes I just need to buy it. Take a look at these 2 common brands of low salt chicken broth. The cost is $0.50 more for the Pacific brand.

Swanson vs Pacific

Both say low salt versions. The Swanson’s regular version has a whopping 860mg sodium per serving. That’s HUGE! I’ll go the low salt route. Look now at the difference in sodium content of these low salt items:

Swanson vs Pacific Details

There is still a HUGE difference. And best of all, I like the flavor of the Pacific brand much better because it has a more intense flavor. I recommend using a broth or a stock to infuse flavor in rice, potatoes, or in steaming, rather than using water. What flavor does water infuse? None. Nada. Zilch. But that’s another story for another time.

To conclude, I recommend thinking about the food you currently buy and eat. Then think about what you should be buying and eating. If the two lists are different, then establishing a food philosophy can help keep in front of you and as a reminder about what you need to be putting into your body. Soon 2012 will be upon us. What better time is there to think about this than now as we put the wraps on another year, and forge ahead into a new and uncharted time?

Culinary Knife Cuts

Culinary knife cuts come in 2 varieties: strip cuts and cube cuts. Many cube cuts start as a standard strip cut, then simply cut into cubes.

Strip Cuts

Batonnet

Knife Cuts – Batonnet

Translated literally from French, batonnet means “little stick”. The batonnet measures approximately ½ inch × ½ inch × 2 inches. It is also the starting point for the medium dice.

Allumette

Knife Cuts – Allumette

Sometimes also called the “matchstick cut” (which is the translation of “allumette” from French) the allumette measures approximately ¼ inch × ¼ inch × 2 inches. It’s also the starting point for the small dice.

Julienne

Knife Cuts – Julienne

An urban legend has this cut named for Julia Child, but the first reference to it occurs in François Massialot’s Le Cuisinier Royal in 1722. The julienne measures approximately 1/8 inch × 1/8 inch × 2 inches. It’s also the starting point for the brunoise cut.

Fine Julienne

Measures approximately 1/16 inch × 1/16 inch × 2 inches. It’s also the starting point for the fine brunoise cut.

Cube Cuts

Large Dice (Carre)

Cubes with sides measuring approximately ¾ inch.

Medium Dice (Parmentier)

Cubes with sides measuring approximately ½ inch, created by cutting the batonnet cut into cubes.

Small Dice (Macedoine)

Cubes with sides measuring approximately ¼ inch, created by cutting the allumette cut into cubes.

Brunoise

Knife Cuts – Brunoise

Tiny cubes, with sides measuring approximately 1/8 inch, created by cutting the julienne into cubes.

Fine Brunoise

Even tinier cubes, with sides measuring approximately 1/16 inch, created by cutting the fine julienne into cubes.

There are other types of cuts, but they get pretty exotic, and the level of difficulty of these cuts rise dramatically. I’ll leave them for another day!

Enjoy!

Healthy Cooking

Nutritionists and scientists agree that better, fresher ingredients are healthier. As a food ages, it loses nutritional value. Longer cooking also depletes many foods of their nutritional value. If you are into “healthy cooking” you probably already look into fresher and better ingredients. The raw food diets all emphasize better and fresher ingredients as a key to raw dieting success. When cooking vegetables, serving them al dente rather than mushy is important for nutritional value.

Gourmet Cooking

According to Wikipedia, gourmet food is defined as: “a class of restaurant, cuisine, meal or ingredient of high quality, of special presentation, or high sophistication.” Gourmet cooking uses the freshest of ingredients and rare ingredients to make a special meal. When eating out, it’s easy to spot the gourmet meals – ingredients you probably never heard of, descriptions that sound exotic, and prices that hit the stratosphere. Gourmet cooking does not have to be expensive. It just needs fresh ingredients, whatever ingredients you choose to use.

Food Costs

It is not easy shopping for food if you are trying to keep costs down. Who isn’t these days? Not only are there so many choices, the prices can be radically different from store to store. On one of my favorite blogs I read, the chef describes and promote buying foods from local farmers and farmer’s markets. Who can’t be for that, right? If you are on a budget, it might be more difficult than it should be. Where I live, the prices at the farmer’s market is much higher than the local stores, and often even higher than my local high-end Fresh Market store. THAT is astounding to me. Hopefully your farmer’s market is not like this because we do need to support our local farmers and buy foods that are picked when ripe rather than weeks ahead of time and allowed to mature in trucks getting chemical treatments.

Food Flavor

Fresher ingredients do taste better. Just compare the flavor of a banana when still a little green to when it has a lot of brown spots all over the peel. The flavor difference is astounding. The same goes with fresh herbs. They lose flavor after they are cut. When we buy “fresh” herbs at stores where they are packaged in these cute little plastic containers, they do not have the same flavor as when freshly cut from an herb garden. Fresh vegetables lose flavor and color when stored in a refrigerator. Not long ago, a friend gave me some freshly cut okra from their garden. It tasted amazingly different and better than what I buy frozen. It was a real treat!

Better Ingredients. Better Meals.

I believe Pappa John. I see it and I taste it. The solution is to find the freshest and best ingredients you can afford. One action item I suggest for everyone is this: Do your best to avoid the internal isles of a super market filled with pre-processed foods, and shop the perimeter where the fresher and more natural ingredients are located. Fresher is better. Natural is better.