COOK JUST ONCE A WEEK!

Convenience foods? Sure, they're easy, but they are also anathema to the low-carb lifestyle. Candies Wallace, founder and executive director of the American Personal Chef Institute and Association, says, "Today kids think food comes in a cardboard box with a plastic tray that goes right into the microwave. We need to teach our children how to make healthful choices so they can grow up to be healthy adults. If they continue to eat a steady diet of processed, convenience and fast food, they'll growing the dark by the time they're 10."

Preparing solidly notorious food each day requires a heft time commitment. One Solution: Bulk cooking!. Spend just a few hours each week preparing several meals simultaneously, and the timecrunch typically facing busy low-crab families disappears.

We'll help you get started with selection of family-friendly recipes, a complete shopping list, step-by-step instructions and tips from the American Personal Chef Association chefs. By this time next week, your refrigerator and freezer will overflow with healthy, delicious heat-and-serve meals, and you'll regain your sanity at mealtime. What a deal!

Bulk Cooking Tips

The night before your cook day:

1. Defrost frozen food items in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Marinate thick meats.
3. Empty the dishwasher.
   

PISTACHIO CRUSTED SALMON

Cooking spray
24 ounces salmon, preferably wild, shill all and cat into four
6-ounce pieces Salt and pepper
2/3 cup pistachios, shelled, natural color, unsalted
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1- 1/2 tablespoons scallions or shallots, minced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Spray an ovenproof container with cooking spray. Place salmon in container, skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Coarsely chop pistachios in a food processor. Add basil, scallions or shallots, salt and pepper to taste, and butter. Puree until mixture forms a paste. Spread mixture over salmon and place uncovered container in the freezer. Freeze fish until firm, 1 to 2 hours. Cover frozen fish with plastic wrap and a tight-fitting lid. Serves four.

SERVING INSTRUCTIONS:

4. Thaw before cooking.
5. Preheat oven to 400E
6. Bake uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes, until fish Oakes with a fork.

- Recipe courtesy of APCA Chef Carol Richert of Culinary Creations by Carol [ www.culinarycreationsbycarol.com]
Per serving: 6.2g carbs; 2.4g fiber;43g protein; 33g fat; H7mg sodium; 49B calories

Greek-Style Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
28 ounces canned tomatoes, preferably Italian plum
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup bottled clam juice
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/4 pound crumbled feta cheese, or tomato basil feta cheese

Preheat oven to 350E Heat olive oil in a saucepan and add garlic, stirring, until fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook 15 to 20 minutes over medium-low heat. Add oregano, clam juice, pepper l1akes, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat butter in a skillet and add shrimp. Cook briefly, stirring and turning until they turn pink. Spoon equal portions of half the sauce into four individual ovenproof containers. Arrange an equal amount of shrimp and butter in each dish. Spoon remaining sauce over shrimp and top with cheese. Bake 15 to 20 minvutes until bubbling. Serves four.

- Recipe courlesy of APCA Chef Julie Cicero of Tastebuds
Per serving: 13.Bg carbs; l.4g fiber; 42g protein; 20g fat; l025mg sodium; 397 calories

BULK COOKING TIPS

Planning and shopping:

1. Plan the week's menu to eliminate daily decisions.

• Chef Carol Rickert says, "Select a variety of foods. Pay attention to texture - serve something crispy or chewy with something soft. Plan a colorful meal. We eat with our eyes first."
• "Design a menu that mixes both easy and difficult recipes, keeping difficult recipes to a minimum. Include several easy recipes with eight or fewer ingredients, excluding salt and pepper," says Chef Carol.
• Modify any favorite high-carb recipes, substituting low-carb ingredients.
• Try at least one new recipe each week.
• Prepare one or two one-dish meals: hearty soups, fajitas, stir-fries, etc. • Include recipes that "utilize the stove top, oven and microwave," says Chef Julie Cicero. "You won't have to wait for a free burner or oven shelf space to cook another dish," If your outdoor grill is close to the kitchen, add grilled recipes to your repertoire, or use an electric grill in the kitchen.
• "Read all recipes first," says Chef Gina DeSciscio.

2. Make a grocery list based on your menu, and gather manufacturers coupons.

• Chef Carol checks before cooking day to ensure a ready supply of airtight containers and wrapping materials.

3. Shop for all grocery items in one cutting.

• Shop early in the morning or late at night to avoid long checkout lines.

Preparing the kitchen:

1. Kick the cat (and dog) out of the kitchen to reduce distractions and safety hazards.
2. Corral the kids and assign age-appropriate chores. They can help you gather items as needed and clean as you go.
3. Round up all cooking vessels, bowls, small appliances, cutting boards, utensils, containers and aluminum and plastic wraps. II Use small bowls to hold chopped onions, minced garlic, and chopped herbs for each recipe.
4. Preheat oven to 350F, and light the grill if necessary. Heat water on the stovetop if a recipe calls for boiling water. Adjust the temperature just before assembling your first dish.

BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS

6 shin less, boneless, chicken breasts halves, lightly pondered
I cup low-carb bread crumbs, or as needed
1/4 Cup Romano cheese, grated
2 tablespoon Sparsley, minced
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 clove garlic, minced Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425F, and place a sheet pan covered in foil in oven to heat. Cm visible fat from chicken breasts. Mix bread crumbs, cheese and parsley on waxed paper. Mix eggs, water and garlic in a large bowl. Dip each chicken piece in egg mixture, then breadcrumbs. Remove pan from the oven, and spray with cooking spray. Arrange chicken pieces in pan so they arc just touching. Lower oven to 375F, and bake uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, until no longer pink inside. Serves six.

-Recipe courtesy of Chef Gina
Per serving: 1.8g earhs; Og fiher; 30g protein; 5g fat; 114mg sodium; 178 calories

Carne Guisada
2 pounds beef stew meat, Cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tahlespoons tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped medium-fine
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon Cumin powder
14 ounces tomatoes with green chilies
2 Cups beef broth
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 large jalapeno, seeded and chopped fine
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

In a large frying pan, heat olive oil on high heat. Brown meat with onions and garlic, stirring frequently. Add broth, tomato paste and rest of ingredients. Reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or until meat is fork tender. Serves four.

- Recipe courtesy of Chef Carol Rickert
Per serving: 9.6g carbs; 2.4g fiber; 43g protein; 33g fat; 979mg sodium; 510 calories

LEMONGRASS-GREEN TEA CREME BRULEE

(The perfect end to that special parents-only dinner)
1/4 Cup heavy cream
1/4 Cup skim milk
1/4 fresh vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1/2 lemongrass Stick, chopped
1 teaspoon green tea powder
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons Splenda
1 teaspoon brown sugar substitute

Preheat oven to 325E Heat cream and milk in small saucepan. Scrape vanilla beans into mixture, and add lemongrass and tea powder. In separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and Splenda together. Strain hot cream and milk mixture, and add to egg yolk mixture. Pour mixture into individual cups. Place in a pan of hot water, and cook for 20 minutes. Chill in refrigerator. Before serving, sprinkle with brown sugar substitute and caramelize under the broiler. Serves two. -

-Recipe courtesy of APCA Chef Patric, Jan of In the Kitchen
[www.inthekitchen.com]
Per serving: 9.7g carns; 0g fiber; 4g protein; 16g fat; 36mg sodium; 179 calories

About the author: MJ Plaster; a freelance writer for the past two decades, has lived, advocated and evangelized the low-carb lifestyle since the mid-70s. Bulk Cooking tips

1. Trim, pound and prepare all meat, poultry and fish if necessary. Seal each in a zipper bag, and store in the refrigerator until needed.
2. "Prep like ingredients (for all recipes) at the same time," says Chef Gina. "Mince all of your garlic; chop all of your parsley ... "
3. Measure all ingredients for each recipe prior to assembly, and refrigerate perishable items until needed.
4. Assemble each recipe.
   • Start with the recipe that requires the longest cooking time in the oven.
   • When selecting cookware, consider how you will cook each dish at actual mealtime. For example, if you're going to cook the dish in the oven on cook day, freeze it to use later, and then microwave it at mealtime, use an ovenproof container suitable for both the freezer and the microwave. That way, you only have to wash one container, not two or three.
5. While the first dish is cooking in the oven, assemble other dishes.
   • If you've selected two dishes with similar cooking times and temperatures, you can cheat a little. For example, if you have a recipe that calls for cooking at 350F for 20 minutes and one that calls for cooking at 325F for 30 minutes, you can usually cook them both at the same time. Set the oven to 350F, and check the oven after 15 minutes, adjusting cooking time as necessary.
   • Saute or microwave another recipe while the oven is occupied.
6. While your meat dishes cook, prepare, assemble and store vegetable dishes in the refrigerator. Cook vegetable dishes at mealtime.
   • "Use a pot with a steamer insert to blanch vegetables and cook (Iow-carb) pasta without re-boiling water," says Chef Julie.

Storing your bounty:

1. While the last dishes cook, load the dishwasher and clear some room to seal your dishes.
2. Cool all foods thoroughly before storing.
   • Chef Gina suggests cooling soups in an ice bath after cooking.
   • She also suggests spreading foods on a cookie sheet for quicker cooling.
3. Seal foods tightly before storing. You'll have two categories of food: foods that you'll use the first part of the week that you'll store in the refrigerator and foods that you'll use later in the week that you'll store in the freezer. II Cover foods that you'll store in the refrigerator with foil if you'll heat them in the oven at mealtime. Cover with plastic wrap if you'll heat them in the microwave at mealtime.
   • Double-seal dishes that you freeze. Cover first with plastic wrap touching the food to eliminate freezer burn, and then cover tightly with aluminum foil.
   • Store soups, stews and pasta sauces in airtight containers and refrigerate or freeze.
   • If you have a vacuum sealer, use it to prepare "boil and serve" dishes to reduce mealtime clean up. Vacuum sealing also extends the shelf life of stored foods. Chef Patrick Jan vacuum-seals foods and stores them in the refrigerator for up to six days.
4. Clean up what little is left, and run the dishwasher.

American Personal & Private Chef Association
4572 Delaware Street
San Diego, CA 92116
800-644-8389
619-294-2436
info@personalchef.com

All rights reserved. © American Personal & Private Chef Association 2008.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008 2:33 PM