In my vast ponderings of information to provide to my
readers, I found myself staring at the fridge trying to figure out what to make
or address. It occurred to me that one of the biggest issues with eating
healthy is the fact that most people (including myself) are extremely lazy and
sometimes just don’t want to cook for whatever reason imaginable. So, I’d like
to provide you with some of my restaurant knowledge.
This method of batching and staples will allow you to utilize
leftovers and be able to create healthy and fresh dishes in literally a few
minutes. The trick is to do a batch big enough to sustain three meals (on
average). Doing this size batch allows you to also utilize seasonal produce,
and experiment with different variations and truly perfect your dishes to the
point you want them to be. I’ve created a list below with a brief explanation
as to why I’ve included it and how to utilize it. Please feel free to comment
on other staples that you keep!
Pre-cut product –
one of the hardest things about cooking is chopping veggies to be cooked. So, I
have found it very easy to, when making something, cut up some extra and set it
aside in a bag or small container. This way you can have items ready to go, and
not mess with a cutting board or the mess that can populate all over the
counter. Help you help yourself, and stay prepped! If you juice, or do
smoothies; take an hour aside one day a week and get some bags prepped up with
your usual suspects. This way all you do is take the bag, dump it in, and
you’re in business!
Fruit – Whether
it’s fresh fruit, or preserved fruit, having these sweet products in your
fridge allows you to have a quick grab-and-go snack, or simply add a sweet
component to a spicy dish. Fruits are also great for dessert applications. Keep
in mind as well that avocados are fruits.
I’ll be addressing preservation methods of fruit a little bit later on
in the blog progression, as items get into season.
Vegetables –
These are key; probably the most important. Without fresh vegetables, you will
suffer from a serious lack of nutrients. Furthermore, try and buy these as
local as possible to reduce greenhouse gasses and cost of labor and
transportation on large companies. I
will be going into greater detail on which vegetables can be utilized to do
what, but I will provide a quick list for you below:
·
Dark leafy
greens – these are essential. The versatility and nutritional value of dark
leafy greens (kale, spinach, collards, and mustard greens) is incomparable to
the space they can take up in your fridge. You can use these in soups,
smoothies, sauté’s, or even braises.
·
Celery
– I love utilizing celery in almost everything. I shave it down to use in
salad, it’s a basis for soups, adds a nice pop to roasted or braised veggies.
This is a standard item in the professional kitchen. Also, eaten raw, it takes
more calories to consume it than it actually provides.
·
Carrot
– I use carrots in a lot of applications. Traditionally speaking the carrot is
one of the base elements in classical cooking. I use carrots to roast, steam,
juice, and add some crunch and color to slaws.
·
Onion
– yet another staple in the professional kitchen. I would suggest exploring
different kinds of onions if you can. White, Spanish, and yellow onions are the
varieties most used in cooking. However, by using a red onion, you can jazz up
a dish and add some color to it. I also find red onion to be a little more
potent in the raw form.
·
Peppers
– Ranging from sweet bells, to spicy habaneros, peppers are a great addition to
have on hand. You can roast them, or just eat them raw with a dip. The
possibilities are endless and they really add to the subtle crunch of a salad
if shaved down. These can also be used in other applications like salsa and
bruschetta.
·
Root
vegetables – these include radishes, potatoes, and beets. These are great
to roast or to fry. You can also use them to beef up the yield of a soup or
simply braise them with some meat. But, since they are underground, they tend
to have a higher caloric count.
·
Seasonal –
Also stock 2-4 seasonal vegetables. These range from asparagus in the spring,
to tomatoes in the summer, and squashes in the fall. There’s simply nothing better than produce
that is fresh and ripe and local! Get creative!
Herbs – bring in
another level of complexity into your dishes. You can utilize these in many
ways ranging from soups, sauces, sautés, dips, salad additives, and garnishes.
I would suggest stocking the following: parsley, cilantro, thyme, oregano,
rosemary, and basil. The possibilities are endless; and it makes your dish so
much better to have a nice pop of green on it. Herbs also aide in the aroma of
the food, which then stimulates and prepares your palate. I would also highly
suggest stocking herb oil as well. It’s a quick and easy way to
utilize herbs that may be going bad and preserve them longer while maintaining
a good flavor.
Beans – Being one
of the highest sources of plant based protein in the world, beans allow you to
simply add them to anything and increase your protein intake. You can add them
to salads, patties, soups, sauces, stews, or even pureed into a “hummus”. So,
hopefully you can see the full utilization of this versatile product and its
importance in diet.
Rice/grains –
Having some pre-cooked items like this are super useful when it comes down to
utilization. You can add ingredients and create cold grain salads (bulgur
wheat, faro, barley, quinoa, etc.) or simply do a quick pan fried rice, or whip
together a quick veggie patty (not burger, burgers have meat). It’s also very
easy to reconstitute/reheat with a small amount of liquid and garnish and
completely change the flavor profile.
Pickled vegetables
– This is a great way to preserve vegetables that may be going bad soon. You
can also use these veggies (and liquid) as salad toppers and the liquid as a
flavoring agent in your salad as well. You can also use this as a great crunchy
addition to any sandwich, or simply as a side dish. Drain the vegetables from
the liquid; add some acid (vinegar, or citrus) and some seasoning/herbs and
you’ve got marinated vegetables ready to go. By modifying the pH level of the
holding liquid, you are able to maintain freshness for weeks at a time.
Pickling also offers you a fat-free option in your consumption without losing
any flavor, if you’re not into the raw movement as much as I am.
Juice – If you
are buying it in the store, or juicing yourself, this is a must have for me.
You can drink them straight, mix them with some booze, or reduce to a sauce. I’ve
also found it very helpful to have juice around when making vinaigrettes,
simple desert sauces, and glazes. I do a lot of Caribbean/Mexican influenced
cooking and creating a sweet and hot profile is possibly one of my favorite
combinations.
Yogurt – I use
yogurt both for its nutritional purposes, and as a sour cream or heavy cream
substitute in sauces and soups. It is a bit tangier, but I find it to be a
pleasant change from the heaviness of cream. I’ve also utilized this as a base
for spreads (substitute for mayo), and a great alternative to plain vanilla
iced cream. Simply by adding some vanilla extract, and a touch of cinnamon, you
have a healthy and sweet snack.
Reductions - a
highly useful sauce-on-hand, reductions are simple, sweet, and ready to use. I
would suggest reducing some juices (orange or apple), a wine (usually red), or
soy. These can easily be thrown on some fruit or yogurt as an additional
sweeter; but on a more natural level. You can easily use those as a basis for
numerous sauces and simple garnishes.
Citrus – I have
found this to be one of the most underutilized products in the home kitchen.
Citrus fruits (lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit) not only provide brightness
to a dish, but you can also zest the outer flesh to increase the citrus flavor.
A lot of times, I have citrus lying around that’s completely zested, exposing
the pith and creating a dry flesh texture. This is completely fine, and you can
still utilize the juice, or merely eat it raw or segment it into a salad.
Milk/butter – As
fattening as butter is, and with all the negative annotations associated with
milk, I still utilize them, but in small amounts. Milk is great for making
dairy based sauces and thinning out creamy dressings (instead of using water).
I would urge greatly that if you buy milk, you get whole milk. By the time all
the fat has been taken out for 2%, 1%, and skim, there is hardly any
nutritional value whatsoever. Butter is also good for classic sauces, and
adding a little in a sauté dish does add another level of dimension to the dish
that is quite pleasing. Although, I will say, when I use butter, it’s usually
about a teaspoon per portion at most.
Cheese – I’m a
cheese fanatic! I love cheese in dishes, especially with something fried or on
sandwiches. Cheese is a great way to increase protein on a dish, or simply add
extra flavor or saltiness. I would encourage you to explore any local cheeses
that you may encounter. The cheese scene has become very artisanal lately and
there are a ton of great new styles, and twists on old ones as well. I would
say steer clear of things like cheese whiz or American cheese – it’s not really
cheese, but some over processed combination of chemicals designed to taste and
feel like cheese. I would also suggest having a small container or bag with
pre-sliced, shredded, or grated cheese. It’s so much easier to just reach in
and grab what you need and move on.
Eggs (hard boiled)
– Eggs are a great and simple source of protein. But I find when cooking them,
I just get annoyed with making a dirty pan or pot. So I offer you this
suggestion: take half of your eggs and hard boil them. You can use a marker to
indicate which ones are already cooked (don’t tell the health department I told
you to do this!), or simply keep them in a separate location. This way you can
easily take some precooked meat or vegetables from the night before, throw in a
sliced cooked egg, or mash it all up into a salad. The quick and easy
possibilities with this are pretty much endless.
