Posts By:

Chocolate Milk

by in Expert Chef

Erin Dow

A few weeks ago, Jen, a teacher friend of mine posted a photo to her Facebook wall depicting four cartons of milk from her school’s lunch room, and the incredulous comments began to fly. It seems that Jen has been working with her class on healthy eating, and she had a real big problem with the fact that not only was chocolate milk offered, so too were strawberry and coffee (a regional favorite) varieties. According to her, these items were offered to increase the chance that the kids would take a milk at lunch, and the sugar levels contained within them–27 grams per 8 oz. in the coffee one!–was, in essence, irrelevant. Well geez, that’s an interesting way to look at it, considering the sugar content is equivalent to a can of Red Bull. In fact, eating two standard Reese’s cups will actually save you almost two teaspoons of sugar over the flavored milk.

Chocolate Milk

Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Bake

by in General

Erin Dow

Cheese, tortillas and a piquant sauce: I defy anyone to find fault in that combination. Enchiladas, traditionally comprised of seasoned meat or seafood, shredded cheese and baked in the oven in a tomato or tomatillo-based sauce has always been my favorite Tex-Mex dish, but its calorie and fat-laden composition limits its role in my diet to an occasional treat. I’ve often wondered how I could alter the recipe to my advantage, allowing me to eat more of what I like without knocking me out of my current dress size.

Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Bake

Recipe Review: Not Your Gran’s Pea Soup

by in Uncategorized

Erin Dow

Pea soup: love it, or hate it? What might not realize is that there is a world of taste and flavor in lentils and split peas that goes far beyond the ham-infused green paste that not everyone adores. If you’ve never picked up the bag of red lentils sitting next to those beloved or dreaded split peas, this Lentil & Chestnut Soup from Serious Eats is a seriously delicious lentil-starter recipe. If you can’t find chestnuts, almonds make a decent substitution. To put this recipe into 3 Guiding Star territory, all we had to do was sub in low-sodium broth, and believe me, with all the flavor the vegetables bring to the stock pot, you won’t miss the salt.

Expert Chef Goes Back to College

by in Uncategorized

Erin Dow

Last month I paid my second visit to the University of New Hampshire as a consultant to their dining services program. UNH partnered with Guiding Stars in the fall of 2009 as part of a comprehensive plan to support a healthier student and staff population. A key goal was to improve the nutrition of the menu and retail items served on campus. However, many of UNH’s original recipes did not earn any Guiding Stars for nutrition, and despite their best efforts to modify their formulas, the chefs just couldn’t figure out why.

Expert Chef Goes Back to College

Recipe Review: Bring on the Soy

by in Uncategorized

Erin Dow

April is National Soy Foods Month, and let me tell you, it is a food worth celebrating. Soy is one of the most versatile sources of food. Tofu sometimes gets a bad rap for being bland or mushy, but as with many mildly flavored foods, what looks like bland is just blank canvas for the flavors of your choosing. In the case of Spicy Stir-Fried Tofu with Kale and Red Peppers, Serious Eats author Blake Royer knows what he’s about: the smoky hot one-two punch of dark sesame oil and hot pepper will have you craving another helping of tofu and kale. The recipe needed little to earn a star: we simply subbed in low-sodium broth for the full salt variety.