It’s difficult to say what is healthy and unhealthy food today. Organically grown food for example, appears to be good for us while growing in popularity. But It also continues to be more expensive than ever leading to some resistance to buying it. Nutritional studies are helping explain that we are what we eat. Yet even though these studies are becoming more and more common there is still much more to know about the effect of each and every supplement available at GNC or at your local CVS.
No question that the definition of healthy food has gone through a
significant change over the last several years. We know that using pesticides to grow our food has dangerous consequences for children, pregnant women and for those who handle vegetables in the fields that grow the food we harvest. Further, foods that were said to be healthy for us that contain gluten have become less attractive to many. As a result Gluten free foods have become remarkably more accessible and popular even though only 1% of the U.S. population is actually said to suffer from the disease called Ciliac which reveals the dangers of gluten.
How does one know, for example, what to prepare for our loved ones let alone what to eat ourselves? Further, we have learned that Medical schools have done little to help doctors know what food is best for their patients to combat illness. The growth of Functional Medicine is one important exception. This specialty focuses on digestion and viewing the stomach as a second brain. Check out the group called “Clean” founded by Dr. Alejandro Junger to begin learning more.
As a chef who values preparing healthy food, I try to keep up with nutritional studies as best I can. I emphasize the importance of eating and cooking my preparations with less fat and sodium, and little or no sugar at all. Such tactics make us feel better, remain healthier, and enjoy the food we eat with more gusto and enthusiasm. And discovering popular old recipes made in healthier ways can be like finding a diamond in the rough.
One of the most exquisite recipes we seldom eat any longer is the classic French dish known as Beef Stroganoff. Today this dish may remind you of times past. But it’s a flavor I know you will appreciate today. And eating so called fattening recipes like stroganoff can be managed better when we eat in moderation.
Classic Beef Stroganoff
Serves 4
1 cup Sirloin Steak Tips,cut ½ inch wide,1 inch long
½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp dill or 2 tsp chopped fresh dill
¼ cup good dry red wine—egs. Pinot Noir; Malbeck; etc.
1 cup sliced white mushrooms
2 tsp All Purpose or Gluten Free Flour
1 cup Beef broth
¼ cup Sour Cream – for that extra touch of flavor
1- Add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to a cast iron skillet
2- Saute the steak tips in batches
3- Add the onions, dill and mushrooms to the skillet and sauce, but do not brown.
4- Add ½ cup of the beef broth and the flour to a medium bowl and whisk vigorously until flour is dissolved.
5- Add the rest of the broth and the wine to the skillet.
6- Cover the skillet and simmer the ingredients for 30 minutes.
7- Add the sour cream and stir until all ingredients are mixed together. Serve over Egg noodles. So yummy and delicious; and not that caloric either.
Contact Chef Alan at [email protected] with questions or comments.