Have I ever told you that I enjoy making these titles? Eight posts in, I'm on a roll!
If the title of this post gave off enough exposition, Nutrition is an incredibly important topic to write a thousand words about (no really, do sit back & relax. Get cozy with a warm beverage before reading).
The human body must consume an assortment of fruits & vegetables, milk & dairy products, grain products and meat (& alternatives) to make sure our systems have many types of essential nutrients it needs to grow (and not die).
When it comes to making food as a chef (and of course eating it), it is his/her responsibility as artsy creators & builders (also possibly picky if you have OCD) to ensure that our customers are being served a diverse combination of foods in the time they spend at a restaurant.
In a typical daily menu (depending on where you go), many restaurants would include 3 courses to start: Appetizers, Main Course & Desserts. In each comes a variety of dishes the customer could choose:
Appetizers (Typical):
Breads: Usually put on the table first as a filler (& palate cleanser) for the hungry customer, what kind of restaurant would leave this out of their menu? If such establishment exists without bread being served, the critics out there have some bad news for them...
Salads: Mixed green vegetables are the staple choice for customers everywhere prior to making cholesterol gains with a main course. Both refreshing, choosing salads makes the customer feel like he's making a healthy choice (it's false hope if Caesar dressing is involved)! Many restaurants now dedicate a section on the menu just for salads.
Any kind of Seafood: Socialite-approved, it's a great starter to satiate the eager carnivores. Fish is both succulent & expensive (which makes it the perfect starter to make some quick money). Traditionally served with citrus or even raw (as a ceviche) for fanciness, these appetizers satisfy in Omega 3 fatty acids.
Main Courses (Typical):
Protein: As this type of dish is the main reason many bring their significant others with to enjoy, generous amounts of meat on your plate are what keeps the customers coming back. Beef & Chicken take the form of Steaks & Breasts (respectively), & are always accompanied with a side dish such as veggies, potatoes or rice. Sauces on these main courses affect the nutritional value, so do heed, & be wise!
Sandwiches: A bundle of joy consisting of breads hugging an assortment of meats, vegetables & garnishes within, Sandwiches are a nutritional godsend (if made carefully) as you can have one of each food group in one satisfying serving. Typically, a wide selection of sauces (& mayonnaise) are included inside.
Calories (I meant to say, Typical Desserts!):
Cakes: Serving as the ultimate celebratory food for all sorts of occasions, these sweet, cool, tasty slices of heaven are suggested to the customer typically at the LAST MINUTE to keep them in the restaurant a little longer (and again, to make some more money. How is that for Culinary capitalism?) Both high in fats & sugar.
Ice Cream: These dairy products are what keep many (including myself) happy on summer days. Ice cream is a very popular dessert dished out which is incredibly high in fats & fruit concentrates.
Making use of the concept that balances out one of every food group effectively in a serving, I aim to please with a recipe that covers it all: Sushi!
Salmon Nori Roll (12 pieces):
The Filling:
- 1/2 pc Julienne Cucumber (De-seeded)
- 1 pc Julienne Avocado
- 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 Tamagoyaki Egg Mix (2 Eggs, 2 Tbsp Mirin, 1 Tsp Sugar)
- 2 Salmon Fillets, sliced into thin strips
The Casing:
- 1 & a 1/2 Cup Sushi Rice
- 1 Sheet of Nori (basically, a sheet of dried Seaweed)
Directions:
0. COOK YOUR SUSHI RICE WITH A RICE COOKER WITH CORRECT WATER/RICE RATIO
1. Prepare the Tamagoyaki Egg by mixing Eggs with Mirin & Sugar.
2. On medium heat, spread your Vegetable Oil on the pan. Pour in your Tamagoyaki batter, covering the entire pan
3. Leave the egg cooking as a whole layer, when fully cooked carefully & quickly roll the egg sheet up! Remove from pan & let it cool over a surface. When cool, slice into strips!
4. To make the filling, julienne your Cucumber & Avocado. Cut your Salmon Fillets into Julienne as well.
5. Mise en Place is done! To form the roll, lay out your Nori sheet. Spread rice on top, leaving no spaces. 4 inches up from the bottom-edge of the sheet, lay out your filling ingredients across in a straight horizontal line.
6. Grabbing the bottom end & enveloping the filling, carefully & tightly roll the Nori over everything, gripping the roll with your fingertips & tightening as you go.
7. Cut this roll into 12 proportionate pieces.
8. Serve! (Congratulations, you learned how to make sushi)
While I possibly can't maintain a healthy lifestyle by depending on this one recipe every day, my routine stretches to enjoying all sorts of foods from fruits, popcorn and stir-fry. My main goal is to balance a healthy lifestyle while enjoying the food that I choose to eat (freedom)!
In a typical week for me, my diet consists of:
Monday:
- Breakfast: Sunny Side Up Eggs w/ a Sausage & 3 slices of SPAM
- Lunch: a Fit for Life Grilled Chicken Wrap with Chicken Breast, vegetables & mozzarella cheese.
- Dinner: Steamed Rice with Fried Fish, Garlic Cauliflower, Beef Brisket & Chicken soup.
- Clementines (Yes, I'm eating my own people)
Tuesday:
- Breakfast: Tim Horton's Double/Double Steeped Tea, Blueberry Muffin
- Lunch: BAKING CLASS! NO LUNCH.
- Dinner: Shrimp Pad Thai from Thai Express
-Snack: Popcorn, Milk, Clementines (Yes, I have them regularly. Tasty, & affordable!)
Wednesday:
- Breakfast: Tim Horton's Double/Double Steeped Tea, Blueberry Muffin
- Lunch: a Fit for Life Grilled Chicken Wrap with Chicken Breast, vegetables & mozzarella cheese (the usual at school)
- Dinner: New York Fries Triple Pork Poutine
- Snack: Milk, Clementines (Yes, I have an addiction to them but also accounts for healthiness!)
Thursday:
- No Breakfast: Early 8am Lab!
- Lunch: Homemade Beef Noodle Soup with udon, beef broth & eggs
- Dinner: Peking Duck & BBQ Pork served with Steamed White Rice! (& a can of Nestea)
Snack: Popcorn, Milk, Homemade Shortbread Cookies (I ran out of Clementines... Bummer)
Friday:
- Breakfast: Sunny Side Up Eggs w/ a Sausage & 3 slices of SPAM
- Lunch: Sandwich: Swiss Cheese, Bacon Weave layer, Sliced Tomatoes, Lettuce & Mayonnaise (am I making you hungry?)
- Dinner (aka Clement's Wild Night Out): Honeydew Bubble Tea w/ Aloe Vera, Pho Noodle Soup w/ Beef Brisket & Bean Sprout, an Apple.
Looking back at my week of indulging, I realized that I have started to become reliant on prepared foods, as time & convenience act as driving factors in making me gain lots of cholesterol & quite possibly an overdose of Vitamin C (all because Clement ate all of those Clementines. I tried to avoid being redundant, honestly).
In truth though, there are many things I need to work on. As a chef; despite being sick of cooking after a long day of cooking in labs, I should push myself an extra mile to create some real, organic dishes that I can enjoy on nights when I'm not home & winter weather makes it too cold to go out on groceries (living in a dorm has its price, and I'm not just referring to the rent!). As a result, that's where prepared food comes in for me.
Also, I could continue to encourage my heavy drinking of homogenized milk, as it has gained me much-needed weight. Maybe finding a way to reduce Vitamin C from Clementines would be to add yoghurt into my diet, as it has both dairy & fruit products in it. Two birds with one stone!
My choice does not need to necessarily subtract anything in particular besides the overeating of Clementines, but I do need to begin combining certain foods together as to avoid going over nutrients (it's very possible!). Also, another choice would be to avoid fatty foods like the tempting but deadly Canadian stuff of dreams: Poutine!
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