My wife has been an avid reader of KathEats.com for well over a year and raves about her real world recipes and outstanding food photos. Being a dyed-in-the-wool foodie I took my wife's enthusiasm as a sign to visit Kath's site and I had a mini-revelation: good, practical, food can, indeed, make you look and feel great!
As someone who was raised to prepare fresh food, I've always enjoyed food for what it was; namely, a tasty plate of homemade linguine with a fresh plum tomato sauce or a perfectly seared veal chop with fresh dandelions sautéed with tons of garlic, for example. What I only realized recently, however, is that food can really improve one's quality of life. Kath's blog demonstrates that one can be healthy, not eat out often, and prepare great meals at home.
As someone who was raised to prepare fresh food, I've always enjoyed food for what it was; namely, a tasty plate of homemade linguine with a fresh plum tomato sauce or a perfectly seared veal chop with fresh dandelions sautéed with tons of garlic, for example. What I only realized recently, however, is that food can really improve one's quality of life. Kath's blog demonstrates that one can be healthy, not eat out often, and prepare great meals at home.
In cooperation with KathEats.com, I've summarized and provided links to some of her best, and most practical, tips and recipes! Let's have a look:
Oatmeal is a wonderful, all encompassing, meal. Oatmeal is a good source of protein, Vitamin E, Zinc, iron, and magnesium. Oatmeal is also a great source of insoluble fiber which helps stool get through the digestive tract more quickly (which breaks down in the digestive tract and traps substances related to high cholesterol in turn preventing the substances from entering the blood stream). However, and to tell you the truth, I eat oat meal, made with milk and with a bit of maple syrup, because it feels me up in the morning and allows me to go to lunch without needing a snack or another meal. See Kath's tribute to really exploit the possibilities of oatmeal!
Kath makes her eggplant dish with tomato sauce and reduced fat mozzarella, in the classic Italian-American tradition. My version, keeping with my southern Italian roots, is comprised of grilled eggplant, freshly chopped parsley, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and extra virgin olive oil. I love both new world and old word versions of eggplant parmigian. And they're both examples of great, real world, food.
The frittata, or omelet, is a recession's worst nightmare. A good frittata is usually made from whatever leftovers are in your fridge and the only fresh ingredients you need are a couple of eggs. Kath's version includes smoked salmon, eggplant, and zucchini. My personal favorite is onion and thinly sliced potatoes.
Kath really does eat pasta and it's not the carb loaded disaster the US media made it out to be in recent years. Europeans have been loading up on pasta for centuries and their waistlines are, in fact, not expanding (so what gives?)! What gives is portion size and flavor. If something tastes good (and I know it sounds counter intuitive) you'll probably feel more satisfied after a small portion, relative to a larger dish with no flavor. In terms of portion size, I often make a little less than a quarter of a pound of pasta for two individuals and the portion is thereafter split (with plenty for leftovers). Kath has some great pasta dishes, including Penne Rigate with feta, zucchini, fresh tomato, and olives. My all-time favorite pasta dish is linguine with olive oil, parsley, garlic, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Other practical, yet very tasty recipes on Katheats.com include:
1. Tofu (don't knock it until you've tried it!)
2. Modified Lentil Soup (do you like to be frugal, then embrace the lentil!)
4. Wild Mushroom Soup (real wild mushrooms are better than steak)
5. Pumpkin Chickpea Pasta (you should love the chickpea!)
(photos courtesy of KathEats.com)
Italian
