Portion Control - Moderation

Light appetizer… yet delicious and leaves you desiring more! Seared scallop (simply season with freshly crushed sea salt and sauté in beurre noisette (bubbling brown butter)… atop a lightly baked crab cake (enrobed with panko bread crumbs), sautéed spinach (with caramelized shallots) and butternut squash puree. Um, yum. 

Choose your battles when cooking on a daily basis. The secret to French cuisine? Butter.

The second part that most Americans choose to opt out of listening to… portion control.

True story.

While for the most part, butter does make most everything taste better… it also leads to heart disease, clogged arteries, etc.

It is incredibly easy to make food taste glorious with enough butter, oil, fats, etc. However, the challenge is preparing food in a healthy manner, while maintaining the quality of taste. Sure, it is easy to eat raw fruits and vegetables.

But really? “Something seems to be lacking,” utter your taste buds.

A dish like mentioned above may include a fried crab cake, composed of mayonnaise and egg yolks – or by taking the time to experiment and use substitutions, an equally tasteful, yet healthy crab cake may be produced. Instead of mayo, opt for 0% Plain Greek yogurt. The creamy yogurt will act as a binding agent; as will egg whites v. egg yolks. Instead of using all egg yolks, use 1 yolk and substitute the rest with egg whites. Lemon juice, fresh/dried herbs and cayenne pepper do wonders in terms of adding flavors (love cilantro, herbs de Provence, Cajun seasoning). Instead of frying the crab cake, roast it in the oven. Not only is this preparation better for your health, but you will also be able to taste the brilliant, sweet crab meat MORE than if it is covered in the deep fried breading. I am not saying that there is not a place for friend food – in certain dishes, it is completely necessary. But on a daily diet, one can only handle so much fried food before affecting ones health in a negative manner.

You are what you eat.

Sweat the shallots in almond oil, then add the spinach for a quick sauté (ready when it has fully “wilted”).

In terms of butternut squash, cut in half and season with a nut oil, smoked sea salt and dried Italian herbs… then roast in a 400 degree oven for about an hour (until tender to the fork). Blend in vitamix/blender and taste to season appropriately.

With a little extra effort, healthy, yet delicious food, can be achieved. Balance, variety, moderation and portion control.

Love y’all! ♥