Tips From the Chef

Cooking class with the resort's chef are my favorite moments of the week. Last week she shared some great tips to eating and cooking healthy.

•  Fresh Herbs are a must. Buy a couple plants for your kitchen window. The best are parsley, thyme, basil, rosemary, mint and chives. You can add them to almost everything to add flavor without adding calories. 
• There are two kinds of pepper: white and black. Both should be in peppercorn form and ground up when being added to a dish. 
•  Spend money on vinegar - $20 to $40 is about right. Buy varities to enhance your dishes. (Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar is great to put on Greek yogurt w/ strawberries for dessert)
• Buy your veggies locally. 
• Find a local butcher and fish market to get fresh meats. 
• Fish should never smell. It should be clean and shiny. Tuesdays & Thursdays are the best days to buy because they are fresh. 
• Presentation makes a BIG difference in your meals. Buy smaller and unique plates.
• You don't need to add salt to your dishes. Use citrus instead. 
• Olive oil enhances the flavors of your dish. Keep in a dark place (definitely not the fridge). Canola & Grape Seed oil are good for cooking because they won't burn or evaporate. Olive oil is best used to drizzle over a finished meal. 
• Pantry staples: brown rice, dry seaweed or kale, mustard, canned tuna, quinoa (buy in the bag not a box), lentil stew. 
• Shop & prepare on Sundays. Cut & wash your veggies and lettuce. Cook the chicken & quinoa. Make your dressing. Put in ziplock bags with labels. Use the vegetable ends and scraps to make a vegetable broth (water, veggies and bay leaves - cook up until boiling point and then let sit for 30 min) 
• Dressings: add salt to vinegar before adding oil 
• Soups: add salt after finishing with a acid 
• Tomatoes LOVE black pepper
• Soft cook fish -- cook in a pan with oil. If cook then finish in the oven at 325 degrees. 
• A pan is hot when the oil sizzles 
• Fish: to help fish last longer, store on crushed ice with salt. Fill pan with ice and generously cover with salt. Put the fish in a ziplock bag and place on top of ice salt. Cover with foil (fish hate light!). This gives fish two extra days in the fridge. 
• Ginger: keep in a ziplock bag in the freezer
• Best kitchen buys: 1. Microplane grater (use to zest citrus, grate cheese, and press garlic and ginger) 2. Fish Spatula (can use on fish, pancakes, and veggies) 3. Hand held juicer (for citrus)
• Salts: Kosher is best for cooking because it is finer and melts. Sea Salt & Himalayan Salt are a finisher and should not be used when cooking.