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Dietitian's Mission: Help People Eat Fresh, Eat Less

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By MARCIA BIGGS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 9, 2008

One of my favorite food festivals happens annually in Vail, Colo. The Taste of Vail, which takes place in early April, allows me to combine my passion for skiing with a weekend of epicurean indulgence. The four-day event offers cooking and wine seminars, a wine auction and chef's gourmet dinner, and several incredible wine and food tastings featuring dozens of vintners and top restaurants from the Vail Valley.

Each year, the Taste brings in guest chefs and culinary experts from across the country to lead seminars. One who caught my eye this year was "Dietitian in the Kitchen" Diane Henderiks, a registered dietician and chef from Oakhurst, N.J. Henderiks' background as a nutritional consultant, health and fitness expert and cookbook author frequently lands her gigs as a speaker. She recently appeared at the Gulf Coast Women's Expo in Pensacola.

At Taste of Vail, her presentation was a reminder that you don't need a degree from Le Cordon Bleu to create fabulous and nutritious dishes. At her workshop "How to Cook, Eat & Live Healthy," she prepared a Caesar salad from her cookbook "Dietitian in the Kitchen" (available at her Web site, www.ditkonline.com). The dressing is made with nonfat yogurt.

She also made a Jicama and Blood Orange Salad with Maryland Jumbo Lump Crabmeat for a chef's dinner event.

Both are simple recipes, but they're beautiful and chock-full of good stuff.

Henderiks likes to remind us that using fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes is important, but not to forget portion sizes.

"Because so many medical conditions are impacted by excess weight, portion control should be a major focus for any approach to healthy eating," she says. "Quantity is just as important as quality. You need to know what a single portion serving is and stick to it."

Here's a bean salad recipe from Henderiks' book. The dish should be served at room temperature. She uses radicchio cups for serving, but romaine leaves work just as well. The recipe can be halved, if you like.

WHITE BEAN SALSA

1 head radicchio

2 cups cooked cannellini beans

2 cups cucumber, peeled and finely chopped

1 cup diced red onion

2 medium tomatoes, cored and diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 minced garlic cloves

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons jalapeno pepper, chopped (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Peel radicchio, wash leaves and chill until ready to use.

Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to meld flavors. Add pepper to taste, cover and chill.

When ready to serve, place 1/2 cup into each radicchio leaf.

Makes 8 (1 cup) servings

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