Kitchen Equipment Essentials
Post by Paula Jahn, Dietitian and Co-owner at Nourish Northwest
A few weeks ago, we did a post on pantry staples. It is true that in order to set yourself up for success in the kitchen, you need healthy, basic ingredients. In order to turn those ingredients into a meal, you need the right equipment.
Anyone who has taken a cooking class at Nourish Northwest knows that we are not proponents of having lots of kitchen gadgets. We especially despise bulky items that serve only one purpose (i.e., a bread machine or an onion chopper). But, there are a few essential items to stock in your cupboards to ensure you can transform fresh, raw materials into a delicious and nourishing dish.
First, I’ll start with the bare minimum:
- One good chef’s knife
- A large heavy-bottomed skillet or cast iron skillet
- A large, solid wood cutting board
- A few wooden spoons
- One large pot (for soup, pasta and potatoes) and a medium saucepan or pot
- A 13×9″ casserole dish for roasting or baking
- One or two large rimmed baking sheets
There are a few other utensils and pieces of equipment that are not absolutely imperative, but are items I use multiple times a week. I agree with most of the Kitchn’s suggestions for essential kitchen utensils. Following recipes would be difficult without liquid measuring cups, measuring spoons and mixing bowls. I would add to that list a silicone spatula and a whisk.
I make a pureed soup at least once a month in the winter (celery root and carrot ginger are favorites). This would not happen if I had to transfer steaming ladles of soup to a blender or food processor. So, for me, an immersion blender is an essential item. They are inexpensive, versatile and way easier to clean than a regular blender.
Finally, an item that I lived without until recently: the food processor. This is one of those “How did I ever cook without this?” items. I recommend getting at least a 9-cup capacity food processor. I use it mostly to make dressings, sauces, cashew cream and to chop large quantities of nuts. Most also come with attachment blades that include a sliceer, shredder and a pastry blade.
What are some of your kitchen essentials?
Happy cooking!
Rx for Health
Guest Post by Abby Bliss White, Yoga Sculpt and Boot Camp Instructor at Nourish Northwest
As a Holistic Health Coach and Personal Trainer, I love the month of January because HOPE is in the air. Everyone is finished celebrating the holidays and ready for a fresh new start! Myself included. I relish the January issues of food and exercise magazines. It is all about fresh healthy food and new exercise regimes. Many New Year’s resolutions include losing weight, getting in shape and taking better care of yourself. These resolutions start out strong with a new gym membership or dietary cleanse, but right about now we start to lose steam. It is about week 3 when we realize that we are not going to drop 10lbs in 10 days and that getting in shape is hard work. But, I am here to share a few tips and tools to keep you on track!
1. Journal- Jot down what you eat throughout the day. This can be as simple as writing it down on a sticky note. Being accountable for every little thing that you put in your mouth can be very enlightening. All those little extra bites here and there add up. I find that if I write down what I eat it helps me from reaching for that extra cookie.
2. Water- Yep, I am a water pusher! Drinking your eight glasses of water a day will not only keep you hydrated but will help you lose weight. Try to drink two glasses of cold water at each meal to fill you up and keep you hydrated.
3. Balance– This is the key to making lasting changes. Be mindful of your body. Take note of how you are feeling. Think of each meal as a new start. If you overindulged at one meal balance out your next meal with something light and nutritious. If you know that you will be eating a rich meal at dinner, balance your breakfast and lunch meals. I recommend eating every 4 hours to take the edge off of hunger. A few of my favorite go-to snacks are:
- 2% Greek Yogurt topped with Fresh Raspberries and 1 tbsp Walnuts
- Apple slices sprinkled with Cinnamon and 10 almonds
- Banana topped with 1 tbsp Almond Butter
- 2 tbsp Hummus with 15 baby carrots and bell pepper slices
4. Exercise– It is important to move you body in one way or another each day. The key is to find something that you love to do and that you will inevitably stick with it. My job as a personal trainer is to give my clients a good workout in a fun and challenging way. Come try out Bliss Boot Camp, Yoga Sculpt or one of the other great classes at Nourish Northwest. Building in time for exercise will not only help you cope better with stress on but will help you feel better about yourself and keep you on track with your health and fitness goals. I encourage everyone to explore, experiment and have fun with different forms of exercise. If you love to dance, crank up the tunes and jam out. Taking a nightly constitution is another way to get up and off the couch. Any MOVEMENT is good.
Below is my No Excuses 10 Minute Increment Workout that you can do anywhere.
10 minute Cardio Blast
- 1 minute Jogging in Place
- 2 minute Jump Rope
- 1 minute High Knees
- 2 minutes Jump Rope
- 1 minute Jumping Jacks
- 2 minutes Jump Rope
- 1 minute Burpees
10 minute Sculpt
- 1 minute squats
- 1 minutes push-ups
- 1 minute alternating lunges
- 1 minute tricep dips
- 1 minute plank
Do the whole set one more time through for a total of 20 minutes.
5. Breathe– Last but not least, take a moment everyday to slow down, breathe and reflect on what you are grateful for. It is easy to get overwhelmed and lose sight of your health and wellness goals. So taking a moment to slow down, close your eyes and focus on your breathe can provide a much needed respite. Find a comfortable place to sit, close your eyes, and just start focusing on your breathe. Then inhale for four counts, hold at the top for two counts and exhale for four counts. Do this breathing technique 5-10 times and then gently open your eyes and take note of how you are feeling. This simple technique can help you de-stress and put your focus back in check.
I hope some of these techniques will help you stay on track with your 2013 Health and Wellness Goals!
As always, we Nourish Northwest are here to support you.
In Health and Happiness,
Abby Bliss White
Farro and Winter Salad
Post by Paula Jahn, Dietitian and Co-owner at Nourish Northwest
In the winter, I tend to preach against eating salad. Salad has a broad definition, so let me clarify. I mean to avoid the ones made of papery, delicate leaf lettuce and “fresh” tomatoes. Leaf lettuce grows wonderfully here in the Northwest in the summer. But in the winter, it is shipped from warmer climates, is often bitter, tough and often more expensive.
Salad in the winter to me means a trip to the bulk section of the grocery store. It means grains, beans, quinoa, winter squash, hearty greens like kale and chard and maybe some toasted seeds or shreds of cheese. Eaten warm, at room temperature, or cold, winter salads are undoubtedly meal salads.
This salad is adapted from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook’s Butternut Squash and Farro with Honey Harissa Dressing. Farro, also known as emmer, is an ancient form of wheat that was one of the earliest domesticated crops in the Near East. There are indications of humans consuming farro as early as 17,000 B.C., even before the advent of agriculture.
Farro is not gluten-free, but it is lower in gluten than other forms of wheat. It tends to be more easily digested than the ubiquitous form of wheat that makes up our sandwich breads, pastas and pastries. This is because the standard type of wheat used in this country is bread to have an exceptionally high gluten content. Some people with a relatively mild gluten sensitivity find that they can tolerate small amounts of farro.
The other ingredient that I often put into winter salads is roasted winter squash. I used butternut squash here, but you can use kabocha, acorn, delicata, hubbard–any squash that’s good roasted.
Chop the apple, mix the dressing and toss everything together. This is a perfect salad to bring to work the next day!
Farro and Butternut Squash Winter Salad
(Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook)
Salad:
1 medium-sized butternut squash, peeled and cut into ¾” cubes
1 1/2 cups uncooked farro
6 cups vegetable stock or water
1 honeycrisp apple, unpeeled and diced
1/2 cup pepitas, toasted
2 Tbs olive oil olive oil
1 small shallot, minced
Dressing:
1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 lemon, juiced
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp honey
1 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp chili garlic sauce (available in the international foods section)
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until the edges are browned and squash is fork-tender. Meanwhile, bring the vegetable broth or water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Add the farro, cover, and let simmer for 30-40 minutes or until faro is chewing but tender. Strain and set aside.
Sauté shallot over medium heat in a little olive oil until translucent.
Make the dressing: Combine olive oil, citrus juices, and honey. Whisk in cumin and chili garlic sauce vigorously before adding the shallot and herbs. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine cooked farro, roasted squash and diced apple. Cover with dressing and gently toss before serving. Top with toasted pepitas and feta cheese.
Cooking Up A Tradition
By Olivia Martino, Registered Dietitian and Co-Owner, Nourish Northwest
I used to be one of those people that hated to cook. It seemed too expensive, too messy and too time consuming. Plus, everything I made didn’t come out quite right. We had home-cooked meals often while growing up, but we were also a typical American family, with two working parents. Sunday night was pizza night, Tuesday night McDonald’s, and then there was a cereal night and I think another pizza night thrown in there somewhere.
When I went off to college, I stocked my microfridge with peanut butter and fluff, ramen noodles and instant Mac& Cheese. When I was able to move off campus into a house with a kitchen, the extent of my cooking was a Morningstar Chick Patty. How I came to decide I wanted to study nutrition is still somewhat of a mystery to me.
After I graduated college, I wasn’t sure which direction to go in. I knew I needed more school in order to work as a nutritionist but was not inspired by traditional dietetics programs that offered detailed teaching on the food guide pyramid and appropriate portion sizes. I discovered a flier for a holistic health coaching program in Manhattan and felt this was the perfect fit for me.
Each weekend class I was fascinated and inspired by the new foods I was learning about. I learned how to chop an onion, boil a pot of beans, make quinoa and kale (I thought this was just a garnish!). I learned that cooking didn’t have to be fancy or complicated, but that it was exciting yet meditative.
My journey then led me to Seattle, where I attended Bastyr University for my master’s in nutrition. I knew nothing about this far away, rainy city but was certain that I had to attend this small, natural health school that actually had whole foods cooking classes in their curriculum.
At Bastyr, I learned how to eat sea vegetables, forage for stinging nettles, butcher a whole chicken and ferment kombucha. I didn’t have much money, but cooked and enjoyed meals of black beans and sweet potatoes with my friends. We found a million ways to prepare beets and cauliflower from our CSA box during the endless winters. We didn’t have much, but we celebrated food and each other and were so completely satisfied.
Fast forward a few years and I am living in Louisville, KY being asked to work as a personal chef for a family of four. “But I’m not a good cook,” I responded. What started as a trial week of cooking, turned into a two year stint. I spent 8 hours cooking every Sunday and created a week’s worth of meals for this family. With a generous budget and flexible palates, I was able to stock my kitchen with essential spices and oils and experiment with a variety of new dishes. Each Sunday, was a slightly chaotic scene of steam, smoke, aromas, piles of dishes, and occasional tears. Despite all of this I was able to slip into a meditation and emerge in the early evening, with several beautiful dishes surrounding me.
Learning how to cook and more importantly, how to ENJOY cooking, really was a lifelong journey for me. Now that it has become second nature to me, it’s hard to remember a time when I didn’t know how to saute vegetables. I am so glad to be where I am now, but do feel nostalgic for the times when learning the basics was so thrilling.
Now, I find that thrill and inspiration, through teaching others. It is so rewarding to see my clients, friends and family travel along down this same path. I encourage you to give cooking a shot. Cooking your own food is a very important step towards becoming your healthiest self. It is becoming a lost art. I could go on and on about the benefits of cooking from a nutritional standpoint, but simply put, when you are eating out of boxes and packages, you are usually consuming additives that your body doesn’t need and missing out on important nutrients that are essential. Cooking also keeps you connected to your food, which has benefits that extend far beyond nutrition. If you need one more reason, cooking is far more economical than eating out every meal.
Keep it simple. It doesn’t have to be fancy, time consuming or full of expensive ingredients. Start with a bowl of oatmeal…. anything counts. Follow a recipe or don’t. Maybe it’s healthy, maybe it’s not. Just give it a shot. And share it with someone.
Kitchen Staples
By Olivia Martino, Registered Dietitian and Co-Owner, Nourish Northwest
The key to a healthy diet is a well-stocked kitchen. We all have busy lives, work late and often don’t feel like cooking when we get home. Making sure you have the right ingredients on hand is key to setting yourself up for success. Here is a list of staples that I always make sure to have on hand, both at my own house and at Nourish Northwest for our cooking classes. Your list will most likely be different, but use this as a guideline and develop your own!
Fresh Produce
(Keep in mind what’s in season):
Avocados
Apples
Bananas
Carrots
Garlic
Ginger
Greens (salad, dark leafy)
Lemons
Limes
Onions (red, yellow)
Potatoes (Sweet, regular)
Shallots
Squash (winter/summer)
Canned goods
Beans (black, great northern, kidney, pinto etc.)
Broth (chicken, veggie)
Chickpeas
Coconut milk
Nut butters
Tomatoes/tomato paste
Tuna
Condiments/Sauces
Curry paste
Dijon mustard
Miso paste
Salsa
Sriracha
Tamari
Freezer
Ground beef/turkey
Chicken
Corn
Edamame
Fish
Fruit (berries, mangoes etc.)
Mixed Vegetables
Pizza dough (whole wheat)
Sprouted bread
Spinach
Turkey Burgers
Veggie Burgers
Refrigerator
Butter
Cheese (cheddar, goat, mozzarella, parm)
Cottage Cheese
Eggs
Milk (cow’s, soy, nut etc)
Tofu/Tempeh
Tortillas (whole wheat, corn)
Yogurt (plain)
Dry goods
Beans
Cornstarch
Flour (all purpose, whole wheat and whole wheat pastry)
Noodles (soba, rice, egg)
Oats
Pasta (whole grain)
Whole grains (quinoa, rice, barley etc.)
Herbs and Spices
Bay leaves
Black pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Chili Powder
Cinnamon
Cumin
Curry Powder
Garlic powder
Ginger (ground)
Mustard powder
Nutmeg
Oregano
Paprika
Red pepper flakes
Sea salt
Thyme
Turmeric
Vanilla
Nuts/Seeds
Almonds
Cashews
Chia seeds
Flax seeds
Pepitas
Sesame seeds
Walnuts
Oils/Vinegars
Apple cider vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Coconut oil
Grapeseed oil
Olive oil, olive oil cooking spray
Red wine vinegar
Brown rice vinegar
Peanut oil
Sherry Vinegar
Toasted Sesame oil
White vinegar
Sweeteners
Brown rice syrup
Honey
Molasses
Pure maple syrup
Sugar (evaporated cane sugar, brown)