I Have Crossed the Finish Line...

...meaning, I passed the RD exam.

Okay, the title may be a little dramatic. But there is no better way to describe how good it feels to have the official, credit-bearing acronym following my name.

Nutritionist--no more!

Vol de Nuit

Translated from French into English, "Night Flight" is a Belgian bar-lounge that provides a laid-back atmosphere, perfect for those nights when you have to get away from the 30 flatscreen TVs displaying college football in an Irish bar in Midtown Manhattan. (This is so obviously based on personal experiences.)

Walking down West 4th Street, one could easily miss the tunneled entrance way that leads to a courtyard lush with chairs, tables, and loveseats. But one would be delighted upon entering the front door, navigating through the dark bar and soft, glowing red lights. If you are familiar with Belgian beers, strut right up to the fairly friendly bartender and tell him what you'll have (just remember, if this confidence belongs to you, pronounce the beer correctly). If you are mystified and bewildered and do not know the difference between Chimay and Duvel, or have not a clue what frambois is, ask for a beer menu. Whatever you end up with in your hand, it will most likely be decadent and beautiful. And well worth the eight-or-so dollars it'll cost.

What is my favorite drink here? you ask. Leffe Brown. All it needs is a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it could be a dessert.

And do me a favor, please. If you're going to eat French fries at two in the morning, eat them here. Servings are small, medium, and large and come with ketchup and mayonnaise. There is also a variety of homemade dipping sauces available if you wish to gourmetify these greasy wonders. I know, I know, being a nutritionist I should not advocate for such foods. I'll try not to do it again...

Being in Vol de Nuit feels like you've been transported to another place, somewhere far, far away. It can be noisy and can get crowded, and sometimes you'll have to wait 15 minutes on the bathroom line. But this place has a warm, welcoming vibe that will keep you longing to return. Sounds very sentimental and somewhat sappy, but go there and see it for yourself.

http://www.voldenuitbar.com/main1.html

Chicken Salad

We're all familiar with it: cubes of day-old chicken slathered with mayonnaise, maybe a few bits of celery. And...well, yeah--that's really it.

And we are, too, familiar with curry chicken salad, a revamped version of the above. What makes mine better? One, it's made with love; and two, it's healthy. Here's how to do it:

Poach chicken breasts in water with salt and pepper. (Yes, yes, I know that chicken broth may add more flavor. But since this recipe has lots of stuff going on, it's not even worth opening the can.) It'll take around 20-25 minutes or so, depending on how voluptuous your hen was.

As for the rest of the stuff...

The base of the salad is plain non-fat yogurt and mayonnaise, the ratio being about 4:1, respectively. Strain the yogurt in a fine-mesh strainer to make it thicker and creamier. Add red grapes, nuts (I use almonds and cashews, halved. Peanuts would be great, too), thinly sliced red onions, and cucumbers, diced medium. Mince one small clove of garlic and about a teaspoon of fresh ginger and add that to the mix. Be generous with the curry powder; it's mild in this form, and it is, after all, curry chicken salad. Salt and pepper to taste, and a little sprinkling of sugar if you prefer it on the sweeter side.

When the chicken is done, let it sit. Once cool enough to handle, shred the chicken breasts with your fingers to the size you desire. Stir them into the base and seasonings. Serve in lettuce leaves (Bibb works nicely) or in a whole wheat wrap, or on a multi-grain roll.

Happy Eating!

Mid-week Indulgence

Just because I am a nutritionist, does not (note the italics--good for emphasis) mean that I eat leaves every night of the week. I'm glad that's out in the open. Now I feel better.

Tonight my boyfriend and I were deciding on what to make for dinner. He was in the mood for one of his favorites, tortellini carbonara. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for a good, heavy cream sauce every once in a while. But tonight? A weeknight?! That's the kind of dish that see myself eating on a Saturday night at some down-home type of an Italian place. (Recommendations to come in future posts.) Tonight is a weeknight, so I wanted to lighten it up a bit.

We started with cheese tortellini. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a healthy version of this stuffed pasta, so we went with the real thing. I made a "cream" sauce, sans cream. It's also called a white sauce or bechamel, if you want to be all sorts of fancy. Take some butter--I'm not talking a lot, maybe about a tablespoon (remember, this is a sauce for an entire dish)--and melt it in a sauce pot. Add an equal part of flour and stir the two together, allowing the mixture to cook for about one minute; this ensures that your sauce won't taste like, well, flour. !Congratulations--you've just made a roux! Then stir in low-fat or fat-free milk, and keep stirring to obliterate any clumps that dare to swim in your sauce. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and nutmeg, or mix it up with fresh/dried herbs of your choice. Okay now, let that hang out and thicken, adding more milk as desired to get it to the consistency that's right for you. Whisk whisk whisk...

Pour the sauce over the tortellini. Now here's where it gets good: instead of peas, use edamame (soybeans). They come frozen in your local market, so don't tell me you can't get them. They have a sort of meaty quality and are a good source of protein, providing us with all the amino acids our bodies cannot. Experiment with the types of meat you throw in there. Yes, ham is traditional, and proscuitto may be considered gourmet. Tonight we used Black Forest ham from the deli counter. Its smokiness combined with the heartiness of the edamame and the creaminess of the tortellini...it worked. Nicely.

And I don't feel the least bit guilty!

Especially because my boyfriend made one of my favorite vegetable sides of all time: grape tomatoes and zucchini. Thinly slice the zucc and put them in a saute pan with the whole tomatoes, toss with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning (you know, the one with all the stuff in it: rosemary, basil, parsley, an Italian grandmother pinching your cheeks). Let it cook until the zucchini is slightly brown. Perfection.